DxD : Spirit Dragon's Ascension
by Blazing Tempest
Summary: I, who is about to awaken ,am the Celestial Dragon of Infinite Realms. I fill 'infinite', and I forge 'dreams'. I shall become the Supreme Dragon of Chaos, burning within the endless inferno! Issei x harem, OC x harem , slightly overpowered OC
1. Twice Kill

This is my first fanfic. Enjoy!

I'm new so go easy on me

spirits talking

Zen talking

 _Blahblahblah :_ thoughts

* * *

" **NO! Don't!"**

 **Kaito crawled up on the floor, badly beaten to half death. It was a miracle that he still lived to that point, but he forced himself to crawl. Both of his legs from knees down were already rotting. His feet may as well be dead.**

" **Kaito! Stop it!"**

 **In front of him, a girl with brown hair, although it was irrelevant, since the light there was blood red. Kaito rose up, his body wreathed in blue fire. It took all he had to stay on his two knees. And it took more than he thought to make sure his powers stay on and alert. However, it was not enough. The girl was confined to a grey coffin with spikes inside, with her retaliating, but the wires were powerful enough to slowly drag her inside. They eventually overpowered her and dragged her in. Before she was completely sucked in, she thrust out her hand to him.**

" **AKANE!"**

 **The last thing he heard from his lover was a loud cry and the last thing he looked was a bloody smile on her face, before the coffin shut itself. He wailed in agony as his lover was reduced to mere energy.**

Chapter 1

"Kaito, wake up!" A loud voice echoed from downstairs. A black haired, lean teenager groaned in irritation and stretched lazily.

"COME DOWN ALREADY!" She shouted again

He quickly got up, and ran like a beast downstairs, not wanting to make his mother angry, since it would be totally scary. After getting downstairs, he ate like all normal people would. Basically , a very normal morning for a very normal person.

{Hey, don't swallow it too fast! You'll choke!} Ethereal voice rang in his head.

" _Well, you're awake"_

{Yeah, Zen is not, though.}

Kaito simply sighed for his spirit's lazy attitude. Why couldn't he at least wake up when he was? Very . Annoying .

He walked like a zombie to Kuoh Academy, a recently renowned co-ed school, although the males weren't that many compared to girls.

"Bro, swat off that gloomy look already! We're going to Kuoh, you know?" Issei slapped his back.

"Y-yeah. Should be fun"

He couldn't help it if his dreams were killing him, though.

"Totally! We'll make our very own harems…" He started to doze off with stars on his eyes AND a perverted face

" _He never changed"_

Actually, Issei and Kaito had known each other since childhood, since their houses were near and a certain girl dragging them to church every Sunday. After she left, Kaito had to put up with Issei's perverted brains alone, and let's say it wasn't very pleasant for him.

{Meh , just put up with him. He's one of your few human friends after all.}

" _I always do, you know. I'm lucky to have him as my friend"_

Because of the boy's low number in school, the males were divided into three categories. First, the princes, second, the normals, and last, perverts. Unfortunately, Issei became the very worst pervert in school, earning him plus M&M (you know whom I mean) the three perverts. As for Kaito, even though his looks alone could earn him a title, but her hair just wouldn't let him have it, not that he wanted to anyway.

[A rogue spirit in the old school building] the 'voice' whispered

" _I know"_

Meanwhile…

A red-headed beauty and a yamato nadeshiko were standing near a door, naming 'Occult Research Club'. Their actions were downright suspicious. They were extending their arms to the door while sweating beads. However, that could be justified considering something was wreaking havoc inside their supposed clubroom.

" Rias, what is this?! It's too powerful for an average stray!"

The black haired yamato nadeshiko nearly screamed while trying to keep the beast inside. The pressure was simply too much, even for both of them.

" I don't know! Its demonic power isn't that strong, but it's something else, and it's weird…I've never felt it before."

*ROOAARR*

" My!"

Rias Gremory lost her balance due to the shock, but managed to stand still. After long effort, a red sigil finally appeared on the door, much to their relief.

" At last…"

" Right. Now, Akeno. Why don't we have lunch?"

* * *

Issei and the double Ms were trying to peep at the kendo girls, and of course, got beat like punching bags again. The usual routine. While they were occupied, Kaito walked inside the old school building. He smirked like a maniac when he found what he's looking, a lingering rogue spirit.

" Looks like you're busted, eh?!" He shouted at the corridor.

For a while, there was nothing but a breeze from the winds outside. But then, a chuckle was heard.

"Some human comes to play~~" A hollow but disembodied voice was heard. The darkness nearby started to spin around him, forming a man with only half of his body. God knows where the other half go. Seeing that, Kaito's grin turned even more bizarre.

"Hunting time" He said as dozens of katanas materialized nearby.

Meanwhile…

A red head was choking on her tea when she heard a scream from the corridors. She quickly put her cup down and ran to the source of that horrific sound just before. And look what she found there.

" HEY, COME BACK HERE!"

"The heck is that?!" Rias shouted in her head.

She marched outside her temporary clubroom and found someone chasing after a hologram of the monster she just sealed this afternoon. The boy was wielding two katanas, much to her chagrin, being a japanophile as she was. However, the situation was really serious. Despite being a hologram, that boy injured it with fast and accurate slashes.

" _His sword skills are far better than Yuuto, that's for sure."_

Her eyes could barely follow his movements. Tea forgotten, and she quickly followed that mysterious boy swiftly. They stopped in front of a room with a red insignia on its door. Rias wanted to shout warnings, but before she could open her mouth he already sliced the door to little pieces.

Oh, the horror.

The reinforced magical seal she worked so hard to make with Akeno was destroyed like a paper bag. And here she thought her magic was high-class. The next moment, she found the boy grabbing the stray's head and pulled an orb out. After that, he laughed and drove it to his mouth. The moment it touched his tongue, he puked

" Damn foul… Not even the soul is good." He complained

Rias shuddered at the horrible sight before her. She fought her instincts to run and hide from him. Whatever he was, he's surely up to no good. And she thought _she's_ the devil. But, before she could run, the guy raised his head.

" You're there, aren't you?"

She really wanted to close her eyes and scream, but with all her willpower, managed not to do so. He was wearing a kitsune mask with black patterns on it. But, she sensed no malice directed towards her, so why should she be scared?

Simple.

He released killing intent all around himself

* * *

" Kaito! Where were you, man? I looked all over for you" Issei and Kaito walked across the bridge. The school was finally done, and

" Um, you are Kurayama Kaito and Hyoudou Issei, right?" Two cute girls with black school uniforms stopped them on their tracks. Being a hopeless pervert, Issei used all his effort not to drool, while Kaito put up a poker face.

"Kurayama Kaito, I-I've always liked you. Would you please, become my lover?" The black haired one said with a red hue on her cheeks. He peeked at Issei who got totally distracted by his girl's breasts, barely keeping his blood in check.

"O-okay . I can't refuse such a beautiful girl like you. Please take care of me" He bowed to her like a gentleman should. It was so rare that girl confessed to him, and he was so shocked and nervous to the point he didn't feel the obvious killing intent.

"It's Yuuma. Take care of me, okay?" She cheerfully replied.

"Okay, Yuuma-san."He took mental notes.

"Uh-huh. So, how about a date next Sunday? " She spoke, still smiling.

"Fine with me"

" _Looks like Issei's done too"_ He thought.

As Kaito got home, he finally showed his flushed face he'd been hiding since Yuuma asked him out. For as long as his life, this was the first time he got asked out. By a very cute girl, no less.

" Damn, I can fly to heaven right now !" He screamed to his pillow like a madman.

[Better watch out. She's clearly not your everyday girl] A gruff voice bellowed from his left hand.

" _I know Zec! But this is just… GREAT!"_ He chuckled heartily among his words.

[What's going on? He found himself a girlfriend?] This time, an ethereal man, a girl, and a male appeared in his room. Kaito just smiled along with them, his very first friends, the spirits from neighborhood.

" Done! The date plans for tomorrow is done!" He turned off the lamp and jumped to his bed and closed his eyes.

(Sunday)

Kaito came to the station 15 minutes earlier than he should, partially because he was totally nervous, and second, he didn't want to risk coming late. During that 15 minutes, he checked his clothes again. A black T-shirt, jeans and a grey jacket. Nothing out of ordinary, or so he hoped. Later, Yuuma came running to him.

"Sorry~~ Am I late?" She tried to catch her breath. Kaito just looked at her. A pink blouse that perfectly matched her white skin, a red skirt that looked cute on her and last but not least, a short sleeved jacket to compliment the rest of her attire. In a nutshell, she was _gorgeous._

" You look… great"

"Aw come on. You said that already." She pouted

Kaito thinked for a while, and was thinking that maybe, just maybe Yuuma thought of him as the usual flirty street guy.

" But, honestly, you look great, and no I'm NOT a flirt. So everything you hear from me, it's the very truth." He said with a serious face, catching her off-guard. Yuuma blushed a little, and this time, a real blush.

" Uh yeah, thanks, I guess." She muttered

~~TIMESKIP~~

Yuuma wasn't her usual self today. At first, she was really happy, and then her face started to look sad, and even sadder when dawn came.

"Kaito… This is a really great date. I-I enjoyed it very much…" She said, holding Kaito's sleeve. Kaito rubbed her head affectionately and whispered 'of course' to her.

" But, I'm sorry"

A light spear pierced through his abdomen, burning his flesh profusely. He saw Issei, also dying, with his spirit link. Kuoh had several parks, and Issei was brutally murdered by his blue-haired navy girlfriend.

"I'm sorry….I'm sorry, I really am…" She cried her eyes out, and Kaito could see her heart broke when she impaled him with a spear. He could see genuine sadness in her eyes, and woman's tears never lied.

" Don't waste your tears on me, okay?"

It would be sad if she cried over someone irrelevant like him, so he cupped her cheeks with his hands and stroked them.

Then, he died.

{ Geez, he just had to die, didn't he?} Zen thought angrily. As a thousand years old being, he knew what kind of plan here, but thing just didn't go his way.

{Well, his body is still usable, just need a little fix here and there…} Kaito's wound started to heal by itself, and he stood like a zombie.

{When you wake up, you won't be the same}

Well, that wrapped it up! What do you think?

* * *

 **Read. Favorite, and review please!**


	2. The Origin

**WOW! Three favs in 3 days. I'm really thankful, guys! *bow***

 **I noticed the chapter was kinda short, so I tried to improve it a bit.**

The second chapter is here. Enjoy!

Highschool DxD is certainly NOT mine

Chapter 2

"UWAAHH!" Kaito woke up , barely dressed. He only had his boxers on. He tried to remember what really happened yesterday. He still could feel the burning feeling of a light spear piercing his stomach.

 _"_ _Hey, Zen. What happened?"_ He opened his spiritual link.

{You died} a glowing black orb appeared on the back of his hand.

"Yeah. I get it. Then, why am I, you know, alive?" He spoke normally.

Since the dragon manifested, he didn't need to speak with telepathy anymore. The orb let out a tired sigh, which was something rare for a thousand millennia old dragon.

{I told you to watch out. See what happened?} If Kaito could see him now, he'd see a terrifying black dragon looking down at him with an 'I told you so' expression.

"Yeah, yeah. You're right. So?"

{I sped up your regeneration by turning you into a humanoid dragon. You're lucky it was me inside. No kind of spirit magic could change your very being so easily}

 _"_ _That explains why I feel kinda powerful"_ He thought. Then, he looked at the clock near his bed.

" Holy crap. I'm gonna be late!" He quickly ran out of the house.

{…}

Kaito found himself in front of the school gate.

"DAAAMMN! IT'S SUNDAY!" He slapped himself for being such a baka.

[Hmmph…] He heard a muffled laugh from a corner of his mind.

 _"_ _Oi! Don't laugh!"_ He screamed internally.

" How interesting. Wasn't he dead yesterday?" Rias Gremory peeked from the old school building.

" Koneko"

" Yes, buchou" A white haired loli eating sweets came to her.

" Please fetch that black haired boy over there." She commanded.

Without further talks, she went out to grab a Kaito.

Later…

" Hey , bro." Kaito casually waved his hand at Issei, who was ogling at Rias's breasts.

"Kaito?!" He snapped out of his perverseness and walked to him.

" Don't tell me you're joining this club…"

*Cough,cough*

Rias's interruption stopped Issei's talk effectively. She walked to him and smiled with confidence.

" Welcome to Occult Research Club, Kurayama Kaito-kun. I am Rias Gremory. May I call you Kaito?" She started to introduce everyone in the room.

"Yes. I don't mind"

 _"_ _Isn't she the one who found me in a hunt? Why'd she want a pervert like Issei in her prestigious club?"_ He remembered a glimpse of red hair when he sensed a presence.

{ Well, you're right. The prince, the mascot, and double empresses are all here. I'm sure having a pervert wouldn't do them any good, unless…}

 _"_ _There's more to it"_

Rias finally stopped lecturing him about her peerage, and she still kept that smile on her face.

"I suppose you're already aware of the supernatural world, so I'll pass on that. But.." She was cut off by the black haired yamato nadeshiko.

" Buchou, there's an order to eliminate a stray devil"

"Perfect timing . Issei, Kurayama, I'll show you how devils fight these days." She spoke.

Later that night…

"So, Gremory-san. What's a stray devil, actually?"

"Well, they're devils who killed their masters in pursue of power and freedom, but mostly power. Every stray devils are considered criminals and must be killed ASAP, immediately."

They stopped in front of a large empty and normal looking building, but due to a dragon's heighted smell, Kaito knew there was blood, much blood. In fact, they might be stepping on it now.

A girl peeked from a wall and was getting ogled by Issei, specifically, her breasts were. If only Issei noticed that the girl was peeking from at least 10 feet from the ground.

"Stray devil Vaizor. We received orders to eliminate you." Rias spoke calmly

Right in front of his eyes, the girl morphed into a very bizarre and ridiculously ugly chimera like monster, shooting acid beams from its breasts.

"Damn, where did all that beauty go?" Kaito muttered. Issei just jerked away in disgust from it.

"DAAAMMNN YOU, GREMORY ! I'LL KILL YOU AND DYE YOU RED JUST LIKE YOUR HAIIRR!" She, or rather _it_ shouted.

Rias just smirked.

"Commoners do speak stylish. Kiba!"

The blond haired guy leaped faster than eyes could see, and its arms were ripped off the body by the next second.

"Quite fast" Kaito silently commented.

" Kiba is my knight. His trait is extreme speed, and his sword skills."

After that, it tried to stomp the mini Koneko. Kaito looked in worry, but since Rias did nothing, he didn't do anything as well.

" Don't worry. Koneko is a rook. Her traits are super strength and defense. That kind of attack won't even scratch her." She explained.

"Fly" She punched the beast with a bang, sending it flying.

 _"_ _That's it. I will never piss her off ever again"_ Issei thought.

*CRACK*

A chunk of concrete fell to Rias, and would have flattened her if not for Kaito pulling her hand before. Her face landed on his chest, and he pushed her away with a blush, followed by a maniacal grin.

"Okay. It would be unfair to not show my abilities after the show you put up for me, so watch closely." He walked while cracking his fists.

Kaito dashed forward with speed that would make Kiba proud. He drew out two katanas from nowhere and sliced through its torso. The stray didn't just let itself be killed like a sacrificial lamb, so it tried to stomp or melt him with acid spits. Kaito simply outran all of them and stabbed its legs.

"Bye." He jumped high, and summoned two more swords.

He impaled them on its shoulder, and made another sword

"GAGAGAGA!" A bolt of lightning suddenly came from above, stir frying the stray before Kaito could turn it into stray-shimi.

"Ara, ara. Fufufu~~I can't let you hog all the fun, Kaito-kun" Akeno said, sending shivers to his neck.

"Akeno, don't kill him yet. Let me."

Issei could only watch in awe, as his unexpectedly awesome bro AND a sadistic senpai fried the poor devil golden, until Rias stopped them. Lightning sparked violently near its body, mostly because Kaito impaled some of them to the body.

" Any last words?" Rias asked with a tint of pity in her voice.

" K-kill me…"

" Very well" Rias created a ball of red and black energy and blasted the monster into nothingness. Kaito's eyes widened.

 _"_ _Hey, that's kinda similar to my ' Oblivion', right?"_

[Yeah, but that was just pure demonic energy, while yours is miasma. That is a technique you must never use ever again!] Zenith reminded him

" Everyone, let's return to the clubroom for now. Kaito, Kaito!" She pushed him lightly, since he just wouldn't respond.

" Yes, what was that?" He snapped out of his trance.

" We're going back to the clubroom" She grabbed him and threw him to the magic circle.

* * *

" Kaito, what exactly was your power before" Rias leaned to her table

" Oh, this? This is just a spirit blade" A short sword appeared in his hand

" May I see it?"

"Sure. Why not?" Rias took it and examined every part of it carefully. After good 10 minutes of examination, she put it down and looked curiously at him.

" This katana… it feels somehow…. Elusive , more like, ethereal. What's it made of?"

Kaito simply made the katana vanish into thin air

" Well, actually, it's made of spirits."

" But, there's no spirit in this world. Poltergeists or possessions are actually some devils' prank ! " Kiba said

" Besides, I heard even if they're real, they can't interfere with humans because they've got no physical form" Akeno added

" True. But even sacred gears were also supposed to be a power hidden within humans, not actual weapons, right?" Kaito retorted.

 _"_ _Come to think of it, he's right"_ Rias rubbed her temples

" By the way, Issei. Show me your gear, will ya?" Kaito turned to Issei

"Of course! SACRED GEAR!" He loudly announced, as a red gauntlet with dragon-like traits appeared on his left arm.

*Whistle* " Pretty cool. So, What can it do?" He started poking the gauntlet like it was some kind of artifact.

" Actually, it only doubles my power temporarily. Shame, though. It's got quite the look" Issei sadly deactivated it.

" Ne, Kaito. I still want to hear your story about the spirits and your abilities. Please?" Rias tried to get his attention, but the latter simply yawned.

" Sorry, but I'm tired today, so I want to go home now." He walked out of the clubroom.

"Oh, right. You're not nocturnal like us devils. Bye, have a nice sleep " Everyone waved to him, which Kaito gladly replied.

* * *

Kaito slumped to his bed like a log

"Man, what a long day." He muttered

{ Are you gonna tell them? About the Hunters' origin and the other world ?} A dragon's voice boomed from inside his head.

 _"_ _No worries. It's time for the world to know."_ He replied without any sound

 _"_ _Maybe I should talk about it with her after all."_

* * *

" Kurayama-kun, there's someone looking for you." A girl woke him up

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, Murayama. Who's looking for me?" He rubbed his eyes sleepily

A blonde boy was standing at the front door, waving his hand at him

 _"_ _Geez. Can't they wait until school's out?"_ He stood up and walked to the ORC room.

Rias bit her finger, something she rarely did. Akeno just brewed some tea, while Koneko was eating sweets at horrific pace.

 _"_ _He's no normal person, that's for sure. But, his powers are great. Maybe, just maybe he could slice up that chicken with that blade of his, and get me out of this stupid problem. Oh Maou, I want him!"_ She sighed in frustration.

" Rias-buchou, I've brought him as you requested." Kiba came in, followed by Kaito. The whole ORC were there, save for Issei, since he's busy peeping from his favorite spot.

" So, what do you want from me today? Oh, thanks" He accepted a cup of tea from Akeno, who answered with her usual 'ufufu'.

" I still don't know much about the spirits, no matter what books I look into last night. So, I thought I'd have you explain it to me" She smiled sheepishly.

Kaito sipped his tea and put the cup down, then he sat in a more comfortable position.

" I'll start with the world's creation. In the Bible, it's said that this world was originally a massive empty void. The Biblical God was one of the oldest entity ever existed in this world, and by that, one of the most powerful. He worked together with the Primordial Gods to create a world of living as we know. But, the ones helping were actually the spirits, you know, in the verse, 'In the beginning, there was nothing but darkness, and spirits floated within it', under their supervisions. Thus, a world was successfully created. But, it's also completely surrounded by the black void, which every spirits hate, as it resembled despair. As a compensation for their hard work, they were given the ethereal world, the world beyond the boundaries, where they live in harmony and peace." Kaito finished

" Then, what's your job, then?" Kiba asked

" Before, there were some spirits running rampant in the physical world. Although this Zecrow guy here managed to catch a quite many of them, some of them still flew around. So, God of the Bible created His first sacred gear, **[ Reality Gear]** and sealed a portion of Zecrow's soul as the Supreme Celestial Dragon of Boundaries, and spirit powers to those compatible with it. " Kaito ended as a black metallic gauntlet with golden accents and a violet gem appeared on his arm.

{He's not powerful enough to wield my full power though.} Zecrow commented.

"Are you the only one?" Akeno stared in disbelief at him

" Nah, there's about 1 % of the whole population wielding spirit powers unique to themselves. This gear is exclusive to me, though"

After school…...

Since Yuuto was a sword freak, he asked Kaito to spar with him, knight's way. Yuuto created a heap of swords from the ground, and picked a sword with jet-black edge.

" Remind me why I agreed again?" Kaito cracked his neck.

" Well, buchou was begging you and you just couldn't refuse" Yuuto chuckled lightly

" Just 1 round Kiba. I've got a test tomorrow" He drew a sheathed katana from thin air.

Kiba dashed to him with a devil knight's speed, aiming for first blood. Kaito simply blocked it with the hilt, and by flicking his left wrist, he threw Kiba's sword upwards, and slammed the handle to his stomach. Kiba flew back a few meters, and this time, Kaito used a stance.

"Not yet!"

Refusing to lose so easily, Kiba started to kick his speed up a notch. He slashed with good precision and speed, disappearing and reappearing repeatedly. Kaito simply gripped his katana just below the sword's hilt and parried Kiba's attacks magnificently. Kiba tried another vertical slash, but he merely side-stepped, and slammed the katana's sheathed tip to his left rib.

"GUHAAA!" Kiba fell to his knee due to the impact.

"The end, Kiba" Kaito put the blunt side of the katana on his neck.

They went back inside the room, and Kaito started to pack along with Issei. Before they could go, Rias stood

" Kaito, would you like to become my servant?" She asked

" No of course. I'm no one's servant" He replied

" Then, join this club?"

He thought about it for a while, then smirked

" Fine."

 **That wrapped up the second chapter of Spirit Dragon's Ascension.**

 **R &R will be appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	3. The Hunter, The Nun, and The Fallen

**Hey, everybody! Chapter 3 is here!**

 **Okay, to answer a question from Pronoob98. Who's gonna be in Kaito's harem?**

 **Well, good question. Here it is**

 **Issei : Asia, Koneko, Rossweisse, Akeno, Le fay, Xenovia, Serafall and Ravel**

 **Kaito: 2 OCs, Rias, Kuroka, Irina, Seekvaira, Kunou, Ophis, and Gabriel**

 **Well, that's it! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine**

 **{..} Zecrow talking**

"… _.."_ **thoughts**

 **[ ] spirits talking**

Chapter 3

Kaito was playing game on his computer, and when he nearly killed the wretched gargoyle at last, his phone rang loudly, breaking his concentration

" You are dead" The speaker announce

He picked up the phone and read the message

From : Snow White

Hey, Phantom. I've been thinking about your question about giving info about the 'other' world to these friends of yours. Perhaps you should give them a bit more time to adjust, and NEVER reveal the whole truth about that, and about you. Text me later 'kay?

Kaito nodded his head, and texted her back quickly. This Snow White was actually a net friend of Kaito he met in a game. And for some personal reasons, Kaito just couldn't meet her, and they're just texting each other. She was actually another Hunter, the same as him. So she could understand his problems a little bit, and vice versa. They used their respective nicknames, namely Phantom and Snow White to address each other.

" Should I tell her about me already telling them?"

{I imagine she'd just chew you in the game for that}

" Thought so… She's kinda scary after all" He powered off the PC and drifted to sleep.

* * *

"KAITO! LET'S PLAY~~~!" A loud voice was heard outside his window. Kaito immediately ran to the toilet and flushed whoever crazy enough to shout like a madman in the morning with a bucket of water.

" THE HELL, MAN!" Issei shouted from downstairs, all his clothes soaking wet.

As he dried himself inside the house, Kaito was already finished with bath. He had an irritated look on his face. That day _should_ be a holiday, and a perfect day to sleep peacefully, yet Issei just had to wake him up like that.

" No sane person would throw a bucket of water out of the blue, you know?" Issei complained, although he didn't look very convincing with a towel on his head.

" So, what did you come here for?"

Issei looked around, and asked:

" First things first, are your parents gone?"

"Yeah, family trip. There's a relative they want to meet. They won't be back until night, I think." He shrugged

" Yosh, it's decided!" Issei stood

"What?" Kaito followed

" I'm gonna play this day out with my bud Kaito, celebrating my days as a devil!" He declared loudly.

Kaito simply took his wallet and keys, and they're on their way.

Kaito wolved down his croquettes so quickly, he left the old lady in awe.

" Two more, please!" He picked them up and ate them like there's no tomorrow.

Issei simply chewed his own croquettes down, when he saw a girl in nun costume walking aimlessly nearby

" Hawaauu…" Yup, she fell.

Being a gentleman (and a total perv), Issei helped her stand, _after_ seeing her panties

" _A blond pretty nun with white panties…Lucky!"_

" You okay?"

" Yes, thank you. It must be God's blessing that I'm able to meet someone capable of understanding me. Could you show me the church?" She smiled brightly.

Without wasting much time, he dragged Kaito along and guided the nun to a church nearby. Although the church was abandoned for years, it doesn't mean it's completely ruined.

*Bump*

A girl with long white hair and headphone on her neck passed near him. He could swear she was smirking at him, and this disturbing aura she had didn't make it better.

" _Meh, I shouldn't think too much"_ He shrugged it off.

"By the way, I'm Issei, and this guy is Kaito. What's your name?" Issei broke his train of thoughts.

" I'm Asia Argento. Nice to meet you"

They stumbled across a boy that scraped his knee, and Asia quickly walked to his side, and put her hands above the wound.

"Shhh. A boy shouldn't cry so easily" A gentle green light came out and after a while, the wound was gone.

"There. Better?" She patted the boy's head.

"Yes! Thanks, onee-chan!" He thanked her, and Asia simply smiled.

Seeing what happened, Kaito played about ten possible scenarios in his head, about Asia's past and her dominating personalities.

" _That was obviously a sacred gear."_

Confused of what happened, the boy's mom dragged him away quickly.

" _Granted. She just healed him like it's nothing without anything but a flash of green light. Asia must be very kind, but really naïve"_ Kaito sighed.

" That light…Was that a sacred gear?" Issei asked

"Yes. This is a wonderful power God gave me to heal others" She said

Without him noticing, they were already in front of the church. Issei was sweating because of his instincts as a devil, while Asia, completely oblivious to that, still smiling brightly to both of them.

"Issei-san, Kaito-san. Thank you for your kindness. Would you come in for tea?" She asked, giving Issei 'moe' overload.

" _God, or rather, Maou! I thank you for being alive!"_

" We'd love to, but unfortunately we have to go to school now. Thank you for the offer, though" Kaito talked their way out, which was part true, since Rias asked them to go to the clubroom and get Issei's first contract.

They got harshly scolded by Rias, mainly about Issei befriending a nun AND recklessly going near the church. After an hour of scolding, Koneko came in.

"Buchou, I have two contracts now… Please assign somebody else to the other." She asked with a very monotone voice.

"Alright. Issei, it's time for your debut. You take it" Rias turned to him.

" Me, Buchou? YES! I'm done with flyers!" He cheered

" Contracts are one of important things of being a devil, Issei, Ufufu~~" Akeno giggled with her usual 'Onee-san' smile

" If you do your best, maybe I'll give you a reward?" She continued, getting a deadpan from Kaito. Issei just stood there with lewd expression and muttering some words like 'Oppai' or 'Soft' like a mantra.

" _His perversion level might as well be more than the Lord of Lust"_

"Buchou! I will make this contract a success, and pave my way as the harem king!" He jumped to the magic circle.

After a while…

Nothing happened

"Looks like your magic isn't high enough to transfer.." Rias rubbed her temples

" But even a devil child can take them easily. That means…" Kiba held a laugh

"His reserves are worse than a child" Koneko concluded, earning Issei a round of laughter

"If so, there's only one thing to do.." Kaito smirked

* * *

" Sucks. What kind of devil rides a bike and knocks door? " He opened the door.

What he saw really made him sick. A man was nailed to the wall with writings made with his own blood

"Death to the heretics, or so it says" A white haired man came out. He had a sword handle and a weird looking gun in his hands.

" Hello, hello. You must be devil-kun, right. So, let's cut the talk short. May I kill you? It will feel really good, promise!" He charged with a psychopath grin plastered on his face.

Meanwhile…

" _There's some disturbance on the air, guess I'll go check it"_ Kaito opened the window and jumped out of it.

"Kaito?!" Rias and Kiba shouted in surprise, thinking he wanted to kill himself

"I'll be checking something. Bye!" He used levitation to float and flew to God knows where.

Issei was fighting with Freed, and was outclassed by him. He couldn't use his boosts yet, so that red gauntlet of his only became a shield to block Freed's light sword and bullets without sacrificing any of his limbs.

" I am Freed, and I cut up devils bastard and their guys, Yaay~~" He sang while trying to slice Issei, which was really _not_ cool.

"Damn. You're pretty crazy for a priest, huh? And your mouth is damn foul, too!" Issei said while blocking another light bullet.

" That's right! That's why I'm a stray! So screw Vatican, screw those stupid higher-ups! As long as I can cut devils, I'm happy! So, I'll cut you, and don't worry. It might hurt at first, but you'll feel really good later!" His face became even crazier, it started to give Issei goosebumps.

"Father Freed, I've finished putting up the barrier. KYAAAHH!" Asia suddenly came and shrieked in horror due to this horrible sight in front of her.

"Asia"

"Issei-san, what are you doing here?"

"Heh, so you know him, Asia. Let me tell you something. He's a D-E-V-I-L" Freed spoke with disgusting accents.

"So, I cut him up!" He leaped to Issei, but was interrupted with Asia shielding him.

"Father, even though he's a devil, he's kind and certainly not like the devils I've heard of." She stood in front of him.

"Huh?! You know what you're saying, you damn bitch?! This is a devil and he must be sliced up to bits!" He grabbed Asia and cut her clothes

"I can't kill you, but maybe I can rape you. No, I must rape you. Or I can't heal my heart!" He tried to lick Asia.

"Don't screw around, you shitty priest!" Issei ran and gave him a full course of iron punch to his face. Freed fell back and rubbed his nose.

"You damn devil! I'll deal with this bitch later.." He stabbed Asia's clothes and pulled out another hilt

"But, I'm gonna slice you first!" He lunged forward.

*BAM!*

" Shut your mouth, you pest!" Kaito stormed from the window and gave Freed a nice, hard fist to his face, again.

"Kaito!"

"Yo, Issei. Sorry for coming late. And by the way, Rias should come here soon. You grab Asia and I'll hold him off!" He pulled the light sword on Asia, and threw her to Issei, and created a sheathed katana.

" Huuh?! Who're you, bastard? So annoying, I'll blow you up first!" Freed shot multiple times but he deflected them with minimum effort.

" Been a while since I last saw a psycho priest. I'll play with you for a while, bastard"

Being trained endlessly by the dragon and the spirits all around him, Kaito's swordplay was magnificent . Freed couldn't even hold a candle to him in terms of techniques and speed.

"Come on. For a fighter, you suck." Kaito used the pommel to hit Freed's jaw, getting a satisfying crack from it.

"You shit-" He was cut short with another nasty hit to his stomach

" You'd better open your eyes than running

off your dirty mouth, priest" Kaito commented

"Kaito, Issei!" Rias and her peerage came out from a magic circle. Kiba lunged forward, sword in hand.

"Nice to meet you stray piest-san. Hey, Kaito-kun" Kiba casually spoke

"Buchou! Fallen angels are headed this way!" Akeno immediately prepared a magic circle, while Rias dragging Issei to it

"Yuuto, we're retreating" Rias called him

" But, buchou! Asia.." Issei retaliated

" Asia can't jump with the circle, we must go!" They were gone in a flash of light.

"Now it's just you and me, crazy priest. If you don't want to get sliced up, leave her alone" He unsheathed his katana, but a sudden shout shocked him.

"FREED! We're retreating!"

A flash of black feathers and light, and the fallen angels flew off with Asia, and Freed was gone. Kaito was about to fly and chase them, but he dropped to the floor, with chain-shaped tattoos on his body.

"Tch, the chains…" He groaned in frustration.

* * *

Kaito woke up earlier that morning, and after the usual routine, he left the house for a nice, long walk in the park.

" _Been a while since I last went to the park"_ He started to reminisce the last time he went to this park as a child which involved a certain black-haired girl with gothic Lolita dress.

As he walked, he saw Issei doing pull ups on the monkey bars, and fell down after about 2 of them.

" _Damn! I'm so weak. But, I've got to be stronger, at least enough to get Asia back!"_

Even though he didn't say it out loud, people could still guess correctly from his face. He was determined to help her, until Kaito called him

"Hey, it's rare to see you work out."

"Yeah. I've gotta get stronger if I want to get Asia back from those fallen angels" He clenched his fist.

"True. But first, shouldn't you get her?" Kaito pointed behind his shoulder.

"Issei-san, Kaito-san!" Asia ran to them

"Asia, what are you doing here?" Issei said with a shocked expression

"This is my break time, so I decided to walk around. I'm so happy I meet you"

"Now Asia, should we have a time of your life?"

*Growl*

Asia blushed like a tomato. Issei simply laughed and they marched to WcDonalds near there. Issei immediately ordered a pack of fries and an extra large cheeseburger, while Asia, not so well

"She'll have the same as me." Issei spoke

" As for me, one extra large Mac, one medium fries ,and medium coke." Kaito continued.

The waiter quickly gave them their order and took a table. Kaito ate his own food quickly, earning a confused look from Asia.

" This is how you eat, Asia" Issei opened his mouth and ate a large chunk of it

"Sorry, Ise-san. I didn't know." She started to eat the same way.

"By the way, what did you usually eat in church?" Kaito asked after taking a big gulp from his burger.

" Pasta and potatoes"

"Just that?" He asked in disbelief

" Yes"

They continued to eat, and after that, they went to the arcade nearby, with Issei winning a plush toy for Asia. Then, they went to a pet shop, and let Asia see the world outside the confining wall of church.

"Thank you Issei-san, Kaito-san. This is a great day." She hugged her plushie

"No problem, Asia. I'm glad you're happy." Issei grinned to her.

" Issei-san, Kaito-san. May I tell you a story?" She looked up.

"Sure"

"Why not?"

" A long time ago, a baby was found outside the church of England. The priests and nuns raised her as a nun. Time flies, and the baby had grown into a girl. Later, she found an injured puppy near the church. She prayed and prayed for his health, and finally, a miracle happened. It was healed completely. After that, many people came to the girl, seeking cure for wounds they suffered. The girl was really happy to be of use for everyone. But one day, a man came, mortally wounded and was in near death situation. Of course, she healed him, and the man went away. Then, it turned out he was a devil, and the girl was shunned because of her deed. Unable to take much more of this, the girl was excommunicated, and …" She nearly cried

"That girl was you" Kaito concluded.

Asia nodded and wiped tears off her face.

"But this must be a trial God gave me for being such a clumsy girl who can't even order a burger." She said faithfully.

{Some faith that girl has. Many believers became haters after being treated like that} Zecrow whispered.

" _I know, right?"_ He replied.

" One day, my dream will come true. I can walk together, have fun, and buy books with my friends" She spoke

Issei scratched his chin

"Well, Asia. We are friends, you know. We had fun, we played together .Oh, but we haven't bought books yet"

"Ara, how cute"

A cold voice rang from above. When the looked up, there was a blue haired woman with blue hair and black wings on her back.

"Now. Asia. Come back to us and I'll let the boy live" She demanded

"Issei, run" Kaito whispered to him, and Issei gladly obliged

Kaito immediately threw a katana to her, catching that woman off-guard.

" Catch us first, crow" He followed Issei's trail.

After a while, Kaito met up with Issei. He started to explain his plan to him, and Issei nodded . Then, he took Asia's hand and ran away, leaving Issei behind

"Kaito-san?!"

"Shh, Asia! We're running!" He simply dragged Asia along.

"There you are, boy!" The fallen finally caught up

" _Gotcha"_

They ran to an alley where he and Issei planned. Issei was there and they hid behind the concretes. Then, Kaito ran out of the alley to lure the fallen

"Issei-san, what was he doing?" Asia asked

"He made sure they'd try to catch him before you by tricking them to believe he hid you somewhere. After that, he could lure them away while I take you to safety." Issei explained to her.

" _You're still as tricky as ever, bro"_ He thought

Meanwhile…

"Alright! Time to give this crow a chase of her life! " He ran to a mall.

Of course, the fallen angel had to search him by foot, since she couldn't afford flying in there like some weird cosplayer.

" Where did that brat go?!" She was really mad

" _You can't hope to find me, idiot. If I want, I can make myself so unnoticeable people in front of me won't even bother to see me"_ Kaito laughed internally when he saw that stupid woman right in front of him.

*BUMP*

His phone rang so he was distracted and ended up bumping to a white haired girl from before. He picked up her fallen phone and accidentally took a peek. His eyes widened in disbelief of who she was.

" You're Snow White?!" He exclaimed.

" And you're Phantom?" She picked up his phone.

" So there you are, brat! You're not getting away this time!" The fallen noticed him because if his voice.

" Crap. Let's run!" He dragged the girl away from there.

They quickly retreated before the fallen could catch him again. After a long distance, they were back at the park. She stabilized her breath quickly and faced him

" So, do you mind telling me why a hunter like you being hunted by that stupid fallen?" She crossed her arms

"Hunted? You're exaggerating. That was a goose chase" He joked.

She gave him a calculating look before smiling. She punched him lightly on the chest.

"How about you tell me your real name? It won't do good if we're using our nicknames every time, don't you think?" She didn't take that smile off.

" Ladies first"

" Fine. I'm Shirayuki Hana. Nice to meet you, Phantom-kun" She bowed slightly.

"And I'm Kurayama Kaito. Nice to meet you too" He replied, then he slapped his forehead.

"I forgot to pick up my friend! Sorry, but, do you want to go with me?"

"Sure." She shrugged

" _Cause I came to meet you, anyway"_

Issei and Asia must have had the worst luck ever. After fleeing from Kalawarner, ANOTHER fallen spotted them and successfully pinned them there.

"You're the brat Kala should've killed days ago….and you blondie should be in the church now. Oh, come on! Why do I have to clean up after them?" He created a blue light spear and aimed it at Issei. That spear made a hole on his left leg

"Damn!" He fell to his knees instantly.

"Issei-san!" Asia worriedly ran to his aid and started to heal his leg. Pale green light was emitting from the rings on her hands, thus healing his leg, although not completely.

"Blondie, if you go with me, I won't mind not killing that boy over there." He offered smugly.

"Asia, don't!" Issei tried to stop her, but Asia was already walking towards him, and although no words came out, he could know what it was

"Good bye"

* * *

When Kaito and Hana had arrived, Issei was still in a shock and enraged state. They all returned to the clubroom and Rias was already waiting. She took a few steps and slapped Issei

" What were you thinking?! I already told you not to involve yourself with that nun!" She scolded him again.

"Buchou, what piece am I?" He asked

"Pawn"

"Then, I'm going stray" He spoke

" Do you know what you're saying Issei?" She was shocked

" What's the matter anyway? I'm just a disposable foot soldier, right?" He retorted.

"Perhaps so, but you took all her pawn pieces to resurrect, meaning you're just as valuable as any of us here." Akeno replied

" Whatever. Do what you want, Issei. And by the way, a pawn has a 'Promotion' ability" She walked out of the clubroom with Akeno.

Shortly after that, Issei stood and went to the door.

"Hyoudou-kun" Kiba spoke

"What? Don't try to stop me, ikemen" He turned around only to see Kiba with a sword sheathed on his hip.

"We're going too. Buchou never told us _not_ to, after all" Koneko spoke with a monotone voice.

" Let's go" Kaito tapped his shoulder.

They arrived at the church quite fast, and Koneko simly bashed the door open with a strong kick. Along with that, a figure showed himself in the darkness. Oh , they weren't going to like this ,not at all.

" Freed!"

"Hey, devils-san. If you're looking for the nun, you should go below this altar, but not before you go through me" He grinned like a lunatic while licking his gun.

" _Gross"_ was in everyone's mind that time ( and yes, including the writer)

" Blow away, freak" Koneko grabbed a large wooden bench nearby, and threw it to him. Kiba also joined the fray and started a sword fight with him. His black sword exuded black aura that ate the priest's light sword.

" You bas- Awh!" He was thrown aside by a chair Koneko threw at him.

"No time to waste. Let's hurry!" They ran to the altar.

Koneko just punched the altar away, and they entered a catacomb filled with priests with light swords.

" Hyoudou, we'll take care of this. You go to that nun!" Kiba unsheathed his sword.

" That's right. Go save Asia, already" Kaito pushed him and materialized two katanas on his hands.

" Alright. I'm going all out" Kaito's body started to get enveloped in creepy white aura, sending chills to everyone inside. He opened his eyes, and the room was filled with fear.

" No holding back" His bloodlust sprang out like black mist, making the enemies tremble.

[Really, it's always a sight to see your enemies trembling in your presence]

{ For him, this level is no more than a child throwing tantrum. It's a different story to the others, though} Beings inside him talked casually.

He started to cut down the bulk of enemies' forces alone, the odds was like 20 to 1, save for the fact that they were scared to the core by this…phantom they were facing.

" Do we need to join in?" Kiba asked Koneko

" No"

" Okay" He leaned to the wall and rest.

" Brat. I can't believe how persistent you are" A male fallen with black fedora hovered above him.

After the last stray priest was dead, he looked around and saw Yuuma in bruises and cuts, blood trickling from her lips.

" What? You're concerned about that bitch? She's no more than a disgrace to us fallen angels. We seduce, not being seduced! Well, she's down, anyway. After I kill you, I can rest easy!" He created a light spear on his hand.

" A disgrace?" A dark cackle left his mouth, giving chills to the fallen.

Suddenly, he was struck by a horrifying amount of dread, getting him to his knees, even though he was flying so proudly before.

' … _And they will search for Death, but they couldn't find it, because Death had retreated from them'_

He remembered that verse from the last pages of the Bible, and trembled. This was far greater than anything he had experienced before, even at the Great War.

" Damn!" A shout snapped him out.

Black chains started to wrap his body and he was forced to kneel. Dohnaseek's face adored a lunatic smile.

" Y-you monster… I'll erase you, HAHAHAH!" He threw that light spear to the incapacitated teenager. He closed his eyes, waiting for death.

*STAB*

It didn't come, but Kaito felt warm liquid falling to his face. His eyes opened and widened in horror as the torches lighted the room dimly.

"Ka-Kaito-kun" A feminine voice sprang out.

A girl with flowing black hair in S&M outfit with a gaping hole in her chest was looking down at him. She caressed his cheek, staining it with a deep red traces.

" This is for your…" She coughed up blood

" Don't talk!" Kaito frantically tried to break free from his chains

" …wasted life on me" She fell to the ground next to him

"AAAAAHHHHH!" A disembodied hollow howl boomed across the building, making it brittle.

"I won't let you die!" Kaito forced his hands to touch her chest, and forced the light seeable only for him to sink back to Yuuma's body.

After succeeding, he turned his face to the man who had caused that massive roar just before. He stood, albeit shakily because of those chains on him, and raised his hand. A torrent of black and gray aura started to envelop his body, and was focused on his right arm.

 **{Sword of The Unholy Revenant, Razor}** Zecrow announced

A black double edged broadsword appeared on his hand. Its edges were colored gray, and the guard was curved like a large hoof. A stick of iron connected the blade and the hilt together, and the ornaments on it started glowing red.

" Her life will be spared, and you _were,_ too. But because of your action earlier, I'll make sure your soul will be tormented eternally" His voice was cold and venomous, however Dohnaseek was secretly relieved. Whatever torment awaited him, it's still better than facing him head-on with his pitch-black bloodlust, promising pain worse than death to his enemies.

*STAB*

" Grieve eternally" Kaito stabbed his chest and lifted him upwards. With a flick of his wrist, a massive wave of gray energy came out, slicing the fallen in half along with the catacomb and whatever above it.

And then, he fell. A flash of snow white hair and he was in a pair gentle arms, receding his bloodlust back to his mind

" You've done well"

She picked up Yuuma and exited the ruined catacomb.


	4. Familiar, Pricks, and Game

**It's already more than 1000 views to this story *squeals* I'm so happy right now. Highschool DxD is not mine**

 **Oh, and by the way, I'll be giving some other girls to Issei, so Ravel will be in Kaito's harem.**

{…} Zecrow or Ddraig talking

[…] Spirits, mostly Zenith talking

* * *

Chapter 4

Last night, Kaito and the ORC raided an abandoned church, and it ended up with the church's destruction due to Kaito pulling out Razor all of a sudden. After being rescued by Hana, he was taken back to his house.

"Hoaahm~~" Kaito yawned loudly and looked around. To his surprise, a white haired girl with headphones hanging on her neck was looking back at him.

" Hey, you're awake. Did you have a good sleep?" She said with a gentle voice matching her appearance. Although surprised, he was used to be as observant as he could, and he had to say, the woman was really hard _not_ to look. Her alluring violet eyes and the long white hair with long bangs that nearly covered her eyes, coupled with an hourglass figure most women would envy very much.

" U-um, yeah. Thanks. Mind explaining why you're in my room?" He proceeded to sit down. She also sat beside him. She intended to speak when a magic circle appeared. They simply stared at the newcomer, apparently a girl with voluptuous figure and very big breasts with red hair.

" Ara, looks like I was beaten" She casually spoke.

"Phantom. Who exactly is this girl?"

" The president of a club in my school. And my name is not Phantom"

A tick mark appeared on Rias' head as she grew agitated from being ignored even after her horrific way appearing

" Oi! Don't ignore me!" She pouted

" Sorry, Buchou. She's Shirayuki Hana. She's a hunter like me. Snow, Rias Gremory, Buchou, Shirayuki."

" Nice to meet you, Shirayuki-san. First things first, Kaito. I believe I should tell you about what had happened when you were in the catacomb" She sat on his desk.

" Okay"

" Well, the best thing that happened that night was Issei activating his sacred gear, as in the Boosted Gear. I disposed of the fallen angel guard and Issei beat up his former girlfriend" She said.

" Wow. I guess anger and desperation are the most effective catalyst for dragon type sacred gears, huh? And he beat a fallen angel. Now that's like him." He grinned to himself

" Okay. Kaito, shouldn't you be preparing for school? You don't want to be late.." Rias pointed a finger to his clock.

" Crap." He ran out quickly. Rias turned to Hana with a serious face on.

" Tell me. How powerful the Hunters really are?" She asked

Hana gave a calculating look to her, and after a while, she smiled.

" Every one of us has abilities unique to us. Well, it's all about using it to its full potential, though" She said

" What's his? I mean besides the sword"

" Dunno. Why don't you ask him yourself?" She had a smug smile on her face.

" Hmph" Rias pouted.

Later…

" Who's that weirdo?"

" Kyaah! Rias-sama is taken!"

" That shitty bastard…taking our queen from us"

Kaito only sweat-dropped while hearing numerous insults directed at him by jealous students, that perhaps covered about everyone seeing them walk together to school.

" _Geez. So much for being unseen"_ He sighed tiredly.

" WAAAHHH~~, Akeno- onee-sama is also taken"

" And by a disgusting pervert, too"

" Why, Akeno-sama?!"

And it's Issei's turn to get cursed by the whole population of Kuoh. He didn't even look fazed, perhaps because Akeno was right beside him, giving him enough confidence to boast later.

" _For the first time, my stealth nature saves me"_ He thought

" ISSEI! YOU TRAITOR!" Issei was getting a major beat up from his partners in crime a.k.a Matsuda and Motohama, as other members of Perverted Trio. Deciding to infuriate them even further, he put his hand on his chin.

" Say, Matsuda, Motohama. Have you ever touched real breasts?" He smirked

" Y-YOU BASTARD!" They yelled in frustration.

* * *

" Well, Issei, Asia. Since you two don't have them, how about we go get them?" Rias sat on her chair.

"Familiars?"

" Yes. They're helpers that do some of devil's works, such as scouting, giving out flyers, and in some occasion, fights" She explained.

" Here's my familiar." A cute little bat popped up in her hand, and turned into a woman in cosplay dress.

" And this is mine" Akeno brought out a little oni

" Shiro" Koneko hugged a cute white kitten

" And this is mi-"

" No need, ikemen." Issei cut him off.

" You're so mean, Issei-kun" He said with a smile on

" Can I get one too?" Kaito raised his hand.

" Yes, of course. You don't have to be a devil to gain a familiar" Rias answered.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, revealing a dark haired girl with short bob cut. She entered the room, along with some other students.

" Rias. I heard you wanted to go to the Familiar Forest this month"

" Buchou. What's the Student Council doing here?" Issei pointed at them.

" Rias. I think it's rude not to introduce us to your peerage, even though we don't interact much" She cleaned her glasses

" Everyone, this is Sona Shitori, the next head of Sitri Clan, as well as the Student Council here. She maintains the school at day, and gives us special rights"

Sona's eyes wandered around until she spotted Kaito drinking tea. She gasped in shock and pointed at him

" Y-You…." She stuttered.

" Oh, hello Shitori-san. Pleased to meet you" He casually greeted

" Kaichou, is that…" A bespectacled woman with long black haired whispered to her

" You're right. He's the only one who ever defeats me in chess"

Flashback….

Kaito was on a hunt, when he passed the student council room. Seeing him, Sona called him inside for a round of chess. After pushing each other to a corner multiple times, Sona was winning. She only needed 1 step to win, and it's Kaito's turn.

" You're very good at this President. Good game" He sighed

" Yes. You too"

"1 turn and you could finish me off. Unfortunately…" His bishop moved, and trapped her king in a deadlock. Sona's eyes widened in shock.

" _What?"_

All her pieces except for a bishop she intended to finish him off with were stuck. She was too focused on the final blow she'd forgotten to tighten her defenses. As a result, his knight would finish her off.

" Checkmate. Kaichou." He moved his knight.

" I…lost" She said in disbelief

Flashback end.

" So to say, he's the first person to defeat you in chess. You're very good, Kaito" Rias praised

" No, I was just lucky, really. If she managed to notice, I'd have no chance at all." Kaito spoke sheepishly.

" Anyway, my servants also want to search familiars. So…" Sona spoke as some devils came in as well, including a boy with arrogant look plastered on his face.

" This is Saji Genshirou. My new pawn. Come on Saji. This Issei is a pawn, too" Sona introduced Saji.

" Being put in the same place as the Perverted Trio, this really disgraced me" He smirked smugly

" Hey, you picking a fight?!" Issei stood up angrily

" Oh, even if I look like this, I took up 4 pawns, you know? I won't lose so easily." He confidently spoke.

" Saji, stop it. Even if you fight with Issei, he took up all 8 pawns by himself"

" No way, Kaichou!"

" Nice to meet you, Genshirou-san" Asia spoke cutely

" Oh, yes. It's very nice to meet you too, Asia-"

His hand was immediately taken by Issei who clenched it harshly. They started their very own gripping battle, while Rias and Sona discussed the familiar problem.

* * *

" Sona, are you ready?"

" Anytime, Rias"

A staring contest with two beautiful girls in tennis outfit started with a cheer. Eventually, those two attracted many students to watch.

" _Or actually the boys only wanted to see them in action"_ Kaito thought

" Here I go!" Rias threw the ball and hit it hard.

Sona repelled it perfectly, and thus, the game went on to a more….bizarre way. After a normal game, they decided to bring out devil's way of tennis to the open.

" Take this! Gremory-style spin ball!"

" Sitri-style counter!"

Their match started to get destructive as the ball was infused with demonic powers, fortunately the students only saw them as magic balls. In the end, they ended in a draw.

" Well, that was anticlimactic." Kito stared at the destroyed racket they used to play.

Rias and Akeno came in.

" The game is…dodgeball"

The ORC was already waiting in the gym with their respective outfits. The boys, including Kaito, and Asia and Koneko wore normal gym suits, while Rias and Akeno with their jerseys. After waiting for some minutes, Student Council arrived. Without wasting time, they started the game. Unfortunately for the boys, save for Kiba, they weren't popular at all, making an easy target for STC.

" Throw at Issei ! No one will care anyway!" Saji shouted with passion, since he was pissed because Issei took more pieces than him, despite being a hopeless pervert.

" Aim at that nobody too! I don't know him so it's okay!" He pointed at Kaito.

While Kaito was good, it's a totally different matter for Issei, since balls coming from everywhere wouldn't be good for him.

" AAAHHH!" Issei was running around after Sona threw a homing ball which chased after Issei for quite some time, until that ball found its mate in Issei's 'balls'.

" Come, Issei-san. I'll heal you. So, UUHHM~~" She dragged the barely conscious Issei who was holding his family jewels.

" Don't worry, Issei. Your vain sacrifice will be quickly forgotten, and man, did they break?" Kaito spoke casually

" OI, YOU JUST CALLED IT VAIN, BASTARD!" He snapped

The match went on quickly, although it turned into a horrendous match for no good reason in the middle, but the ORC finally won after Koneko threw an avenger's ball to Saji's crotch. Imagine being struck by a car in full speed in ball form. Now that's going to hurt.

" As promised, we'll go first, Sona" and they disappeared to the familiar forest.

" Hey, Rias Gremory and peerage, nice to meet you today. So, boy. What kind of familiar do you want?" A man that looked like a total weirdo leaped to them after they teleported there.

" I'd like a pretty one, with big…oppai" Issei said with lewd expression on.

" Tch, tch. You don't get it, do ya kid? Familiar is important to devils-"

" Ano, I'd like a cute familiar.." Asia cut him, but that devil simply grinned to her and said an okay.

" I'll just see it after taking a stroll here." Kaito followed the others.

They stopped near a big lake there. Zatooji, the devil's name, said that many undines resided there. Issei, being a perv as always, was fantasizing about big breasted woman with blue hair, apparently undine in his dreams.

" Look, there's one!"

A big-sized bodybuilder splashed out from the water. He, or she flexed the muscles, as if showing them his, or her strength.

" Wow, that girl is strong. Hey, kid, why don't you take her?" Zatooji turned to Issei, who was kneeling with his head on the ground.

" NOOOO! Get that image out of my head! How's that thing even a girl anyway? It's just a freakin' bodybuilder!" He stressed out

"Well, at least he took it worse than I do" Kaito stressed out a little too. Honestly, he expected the same as Issei, but alas, to no avail.

" _Follow me"_

" Huh?"

A wisp flew near Kaito's ears and floated into the forests. Kaito followed in and in the way, a black cat rubbed its head to Kaito's leg. He simply patted it and it nimbly jumped to his head and refused to get down. After giving up, they continued and arrived right in front of a cave. He gulped and took a step to the cave with caution. His heart was beating rapidly. This wasn't the first time he entered a cave with creepy design, but it was full of purple crystal. So much, that the cave itself glowed faint purple.

" Nyaa~~" It jumped down to his arm, and he cuddled it happily

" You're so cute" He smiled, and let it away before entering the cave.

{It's faint, but I feel somehow familiar with this place}

" _Zecrow?"_

{ No, just proceed. I feel something up ahead}

At last, he found a room with walls of pure crystals. Suddenly, he heard a hiss from behind him. He pulled out a sword and prepared himself. From the ceiling, a massive purple snake made of dark purple crystals dived straight to him.

" Oh, for God's sake…" He dashed away from the spot immediately and drew another katana.

He delivered quick slashes to it, managing to slice its scales down. But the snake wasn't bothered at all, and kept trying to chomp down Kaito fiercely. He ran around the walls, barely avoiding that snake's attacks. It was good, like it wasn't just ordinary guardian of sacred places. Kaito avoided its attacks cleanly, but from the blind spots, its tail strikes as well.

" Damn! If the tail is trouble…" He jumped high to avoid its charge, and dived fast to its tail like a meteor

" …just cut it down" He swung his two katanas and spun his body.

*SLASH*

Its tail was cut off cleanly. The snake's length was reduced quite much compared to before. Smirking in satisfaction, he failed to notice that the snake was already in front of him. Of course, he was in its throat in split seconds.

" Ow,ow,ow~" He rubbed his head.

{Come on, Kaito. Settle this already. **Plasma Cutter** should be enough to turn him into snake sashimi} Zecrow said out loud

" Geez… Fine" His blades started to glow white with power. Then, he spun his body 360 degrees, cutting the snake in half with a large white plasma ring.

"It was fun…" He jumped out and raised his hand. The moment he did, a hundred katanas appeared near him.

" But disappear" He ended coldly as the katanas swarmed at it without mercy, completely annihilating it. In its remains, two objects were found. A key, and a dark purple crystal with the size of a fist.

*BROOM*

The ground shook, and a huge crystal appeared in front of him. Kaito shakily approached it, and saw an encryption below it.

" _Here lies the last remnant of the Kingdom, once sought by every souls in the world. The door shall be opened with light and darkness, leading to the cataclysm. The world's fate lies within the very next decision you take. Choose"_

" So much for a rune…" He took out the crystal and key.

Inside the crystal was a voluptuous naked woman with long bronze hair extending to her back. She was very beautiful in every way, she made Kaito's eyes locked on to her, and he couldn't divert them from her.

{There's a key hole} Zecrow woke him up.

He inserted the key into the hole and turned it.

Nothing

" Oh, well. Time to try something else."

He picked the crystal and aimed at the key. Light from outside shone through it, and illuminated the key. After a minute, the crystal cracked. It continued until it was fully broken down

" _I knew it. Inverse light"_ He thought with satisfaction, but he forgot one thing.

" Whoa!" He dashed forward to catch that trapped girl. She blinked a few times, and opened her eyes cutely. Her eyes was black with mesmerizing blue pupils

" Master" Her voice was hypnotizing as well.

" Good morning. I broke the crystal you were in, eh.."

" Eva"

" Okay. Eva. Who are you and why were you locked inside that crystal?" He pointed at the cracked crystal.

" I…" She looked down

" It's okay. You don't have to tell me" He raised his hand and pulled her up, before noticing that she was buck naked.

" Ah, I'm sorry" She materialized a set of clothes and stood

" Come this way" She walked downstairs.

It turned out that she led him to a room deeper inside the cave. There, they found a pedestal with a spear on it. The spear was made of obsidian and mithril, but it radiated little aura not befitting a sacred weapon.

" Only a true hunter can use it properly. Please take it, master"

Kaito walked to the pedestal and touched the spear. Feeling nothing with intent to kill him on that spot, he grabbed and lifted it. It wasn't as heavy as he thought, though. It was a spear with very old design, but easy to use. He spun it to look at its edge.A very sharp silver-colored edge with black lines on it.

{ Nice weapon.} Zecrow commented

" The Cursed Spear of the Evil God, Aramus" She spoke

" Ooohh~~" He tossed it to his dimensional armory.

They got out shortly after, and was getting glares from the ORC. Well, since Kaito ran off on his own and came back with a beauty, that was granted.

" So, Kaito, who's this girl?" Rias pointed to Eva

" Umm, my new familiar?" He got a slap from a certain pervert.

" Damn luck you've got! Even though your hair covers your face like a curtain" Issei said while considering on using clothesline on him.

" Yeah, space, Issei, space" He tried to get off Issei's choke hold

But, a blue dragon with eagle's size did the job. It simply fried Issei golden with blue thunder, and left him smoking.

" Rassei-kun, you shouldn't do that to Issei-san!" Asia started to heal the pervert.

" Rassei?" Kaito stood up

" Yes, since he uses blue lightning and I added 'Issei' to his name" She smiled innocently.

" _Issei's got a nun. Score for him"_ He thought

They teleported to ORC's clubroom after Asia did a ritual to bind Rassei as her familiar. Since Asia was living with Issei, they went home together. Then, Rias also teleported Kaito back home.

" Thanks, buchou"

" No need to thank me. Just get some rest" She finished the spell, and he was back home.

After a short teleport, Kaito saw his own room, although there were two people he didn't expect before.

" Hey" He saw a beautiful white-haired girl on his desk. He shook his head violently and tried to act as normal as possible.

" You took long enough. " She jumped down from the desk. Kaito wanted to sit on his bed, until he noticed a large bulge on it. He took off the blanket covering whatever it was, and it's his eyes turn to bulge.

" YU-" Hana jumped to cover his mouth. As a result, they both fell right beside the one Kaito was so shocked about. But, since it was rushed, Hana toppled Kaito and was on him with his hands entangled. Basically saying, awkward.

" Hoaahhmm~~" A dark haired girl woke up from his side, and rubbed her eyes sleepily. In seconds, Hana was already gone, leaving him alone.

" Ara, you're awake, fallen angel Raynare-san" She opened the door casually. Kaito simply deducted that one of her spirit abilities was spatial magic.

" But, how?" His eyebrows started to twitch. He turned to his former girlfriend and smiled bitterly at her. She avoided eye contact with him as much as possible. Knowing that, Kaito stood and walked out of the room

" Um, what happened?" The fallen asked

" Simply put, I used **Trance** on you. I froze the soul in your body, and took your injured body to a healing place. After that, I unfroze your soul for you to live again." She explained and then sighed.

" But don't thank me, thank him. He sealed your soul before it could leave your body, so I could repair the body. Without him, I'd have been far too late to do anything"

" Food, Yuuma" Kaito came in with a plate of eggs and bacons, and a glass of iced tea. He put them on a tray and brought it inside. Hungry after being asleep for a long time, she ate that quickly.

" Thank you for the food" She finished, and he put them on his table. He sat on the bed with her, and hugged her briefly.

" Sorry for not being able to protect you properly" He said

" But, I killed you"

"Unwillingly. That's what important" He replied

Hana was watching from the side and shaking her head slightly. She twirled the locks of her white hair between her delicate fingers and sighed

" _You're the very first person who's willing sacrifice her life for him. You have no idea how much that means for him."_

Her cheeks became wet. As tears trickled without her consent, she quickly wiped them off so they wouldn't notice.

Later that night….

A magic circle appeared on the floor, and Rias came out from its shine. To his shock, she suddenly tackled him and started undressing

" Eh, EEHH?!" He nearly shouted

" Kaito, please make love to me" She started to unhook her bra and looked at him with pleading eyes.

" Am I….not good enough for you?"

" If that's the case, I wouldn't be so troubled, would I?" He grabbed Rias' hand, earning a faint blush from her.

Suddenly, a magic circle flashed and a maid with gray hair appeared from it. She took Rias' uniform and covered her important parts with it. She spared a glance to him and he could swear she sneered at him

" Lady Rias, please cease this outrageous act. You brother and father will be greatly displeased. Moreover, I see he's nothing more than a normal plebeian who has nothing on him. If it was the red dragon, I could've understood, but-"

" Grayfia, stop addressing him in such trivial manner. We are guests in his house, so you should have proper manner as well" Rias cut her off

" Let me guess buchou. This maid here came to brief you about your marriage, and I'm sure you don't want to marry him, am I right?" He spoke

Those two girls were shocked. He just guessed that and it was spot on. He put a finger on his hand, indicating that he didn't want a ruckus in this room.

" You are smarter than you look. Indeed, Rias-sama is currently engaged "

" Ooh~~"

" Kaito, I'll see you tomorrow. Let's forget this, okay?" She kissed him on the cheek, and went to the magic circle.

"Nyaaa~~" The black cat he met before jumped to him. He cleaned it and hid it in his dresser so his parents wouldn't find out.

" Well, I'll just sleep with you, since today is kinda chilly" He scratched its fur, making it purr happily, then he drifted to sleep.

" Hooahm~~ That was a nice sleep" Kaito found himself unable to sit up

" _Okay. What's this?"_

[Check out your blanket] A spirit friend of his pointed at his blanket. He took it off, and revealed a voluptuous girl with black cat ears sleeping soundly on his chest

"Nyaaa~ Morning already?" She yawned in a cat-like manner. She noticed Kaito and grinned like a cat

" Kaito-nya, hii~" She waved her hand like a cat does with paws.

*BRUAK*

He ejected himself off the bed. But she just followed along and landed on him too. And heck, she was in her birth suit. Kaito ran to his dresser and picked up random clothes to give her.

"Fuwaa~~ " Raynare woke up hazily. She was wearing one of Kaito's shirt and her own skirt from the usual outfit.

" Kaito-kun?!" She saw him entangled in that cat woman's arms and jumped to action. Yup, a very hectic morning for a _seemingly_ normal guy.

" Hhh~" He sighed in defeat. Luckily, no one of those girls forced themselves to him or stalked him to school.

In the way, he met Issei and his two partners-in-crime. He just waved to them and walked to class casually. Of course, since he was kept up last night, he used his arms as a pillow and slept through the class. Later, he went to the ORC after the school was over, mostly because he had nothing better to do

" How many times do I have to tell you, Riser? I won't marry you!" He heard an angry shout from inside. The moment he came in, he saw Rias being molested by a blond bad boy. Realizing that he's her, unfortunately, fiancée, he closed his mouth and walked in unnoticed.

" Please cease this ridiculous action, Riser-sama, Rias-sama. I will not tolerate anymore of this pointless ruckus" Grayfia interfered.

" Being told that by the strongest queen….even I am afraid of that" He raised his hands in defeat.

{This guy's a prick} Zecrow commented

" _I know. I'm gonna bust that stupid pride off his face"_

He stepped forward and smiled to Riser.

" Excuse me, Riser-san. I've heard that you are buchou's fiancée right now." He said

" Huh? What's with this little fry?" Riser jerked

" Oi! Don't do that to buchou, you damn bastard!" Issei shouted. Kaito simply played along and silenced Issei.

" You're that boy who wants to become a harem king? Huh! " He stood and walked to a purple haired woman

" Wha-" Issei stopped when he saw Riser making out with her. Kaito himself clenched his fist in pure anger, not wanting to leak his bloodlust _or_ killing that chicken on spot. How could he do that in front of his fiancee. He chuckled darkly.

" And that's how you become one, child" Riser groped her breast and fondled. Kaito sealed his anger and showed a confident smirk

" Riser-san, I see you don't deserve Rias buchou" Kaito spoke casually

" Wha- Boy! Watch your mouth!" He said angrily.

" Devils value polygamies, but I don't think they need to stoop so lowly, needing some assistance from higher-ups"

" You!"

" Let me finish, Riser-san. Where are you manners? Isn't it a high-class devil's job to stay dignified whatever the circumstances?" He continued

" If you deem yourself needing family support to take buchou, what are you going to do with your pride? A great phoenix acting like a spoilt child to get a woman." He said smugly

"ENOUGH! Siris, cut him down!" A woman holding a zweihander rushed with a full swing to his torso.

" Heh"

He dodged that like it was a toy. He grabbed her shoulder and threw her back to Riser. Fuming with rage, he kicked her and walked to Kaito.

{He just kicked someone fighting for him like a dog This guy is no prick, he's just a simple asshole}

" Riser-sama, that youngster is right. A high class must stay dignified all the time" Grayfia stopped him from frying Kaito.

" And the last one, you really should fix your temper, chicken-san" He finished, and returned to his sofa.

"Riser-sama, Rias-sama. If you want to settle things, why don't you have a rating game? If Riser-sama wins, Rias-sama must oblige, but if she wins, she's free." Grayfia told them

" I want to propose something." Kaito spoke again.

" And what is that?"

" First, since buchou is a beginner in rating game, the rules must be simplified. No items during the game. Second, they need time to train. I believe this is a fair handicap to make up for experience and numbers." Kaito said.

" Very well. Rias-sama, you'll have ten days to train your servants. Use it well." Grayfia and Riser and his peerage flashed and they were gone.

Rias stood, fuming with rage. She walked to Kaito and scolded him for underestimating her and her peerage.

" Buchou. I know. But what's more important, your pride or your love?" He said, earning him grits and a sigh.

" Overestimate your pride, and you're no better than that chicken, buchou. Don't forget that" He sat again.

" I've given him three handicaps. First, he can't formulate a plan with cool head. Second, no phoenix tears. That should keep anyone of them from reviving. Three, his trust in his servants' power is lowered and Raiser's intent to beat you now becomes second priority. He'll want to skewer me, so his attention wouldn't be in the battle. His confidence will cost him dearly." He explained

" Ooh~~"

"Well, that's about it. Buchou, could I come, too? It would suck to be the only one staying " He pleaded.

" Of course, Kaito" She suddenly hugged him. He only blushed for the skin contact.

* * *

 **Well, that wrapped it up! What do you guys think? R &R please! By the way, Kaito looks like black rock shooter, male version. Hana looks like Chitoge without ribbon and more voluptuous figure, plus silvery white hair.**


	5. The Training

**Hey, Everybody! Happy New Year! Man, it's been a year since I last updated. Long, isn't it? Well, here's chapter 5!**

The ORC members, save for Rias, Akeno, and Asia were climbing the mountain. Rias planned to have a training at a lodge her family owned.

" Come on, Issei-kun! You can do it! Just a little bit more~~"

" Fight, Issei-san!"

Akeno and Asia cheered him passionately. Kiba walked past him with a plastic full of herbs and spices for food, and…

" Move it" Koneko walked past him with a bag far bigger, at least three times than his. Unfortunately, he tripped and fell. Kaito also brought his own bags, although his weren't as huge as Koneko, but he had two or three bags on.

" I'm going first" He left poor Issei behind

" He has a long way to go" Akeno commented with her usual 'onee-san' smile, while Rias smiled to her.

After changing to jumpsuits, Issei, Kaito, and Kiba all went outside to start training. The rest were already waiting there.

" _Luckily, I managed to get both Raynare and Kuroka to be civil while I'm here"_ He sweated hardly.

 **Last night….**

" About the training tomorrow, Raynare. Could you make sure my parents won't know anything about you, being a fallen and all. And having a girl in my room would really spell doom for me. So, lay low, okay?"

" I get it, but…" She crawled to him seductively

" You'll need to give me enough to last tonight" She put her hand on his cheek. Guess being a fallen angel meant becoming a super seductive girl beyond normal, huh?

" Fine. I'll sleep with you for the night" He sighed in defeat. Normally, he'd sleep with hands as a pillow on his desk, since she'd sleep on the bed, while Kuroka slept inside his dresser. Keeping two girls in his room secretively really took a lot out of him.

" Why don't we just use some hypnosis, nya? They won't notice the difference, anyway" Kuroka morphed to a woman clad in black kimono with yellow obi.

" As horrible as they are, they're still my parents, unfortunately" He sat beside Raynare.

" You say. I can hear their shouts even from outside, you know? I'm wondering how you're able to cope with that." She leaned to him

" Yeah. I guess I'm just numb already" He laid his body on the bed comfortably, preparing to sleep.

" And Kuroka, you stay in my dresser, 'kay?" He drifted off to sleep, with Raynare hugging him like a bolster.

* * *

" Okay, Yuuto, Kaito. No killing each other, get it?" Rias spoke

Those two were already eyeing each other, bokutos ready. After calculating each other's possible moves, they dashed forward, sword colliding. Loud sounds echoed across the forest and they kept on fighting. Kaito dodged Kiba's horizontal slash limbo-style and countered with a swipe to his feet. Kiba nearly lost his balance, and leaped backwards.

" How about we kick this up a notch?" Kiba spoke, as he dual-wielded two European swords.

" Okay" Kaito threw his bokuto aside and created two katanas with a grin.

They clashed swords once again, and now it's a contest of speed. Kaito didn't hold back for the sake of training, and beat Kiba senseless. Now, it seemed like a major one-sided slaughter for Kiba and the rest of ORC.

" I-Impossible…" Kiba fell down and Asia went to his side. He took him down with the oldest moves of his books.

" You should work on your techniques first, Kiba." He walked away to Koneko next. She nodded and they walked to the forest.

" Wait, Kaito, what are you-" Rias asked

" Koneko's speed can't be improved exponentially in merely 10 days, so I'll just give her some…tricks to use later in the game" He smirked devilishly.

" Hhh~ can't be helped, huh? So, what I should do?" She sighed

" Make sure you have plans for defeating that prick, anything that you can use against him. His weakness, secrets, whatever. Just make sure he can't win. Himejima-san, please train Issei and Asia in magic." He continued walking to the forests with Koneko.

" Okay"

" Well, Issei-kun, shall we? Ufufu~~" Akeno creepily chuckled. Issei and Asia sweatdropped, seeing that reaction coming from a sadist queen.

" Senpai, what are we going to do?"

"Hmm~ I believe Sirzechs-sama will try to give buchou a terrain advantage in the game, if he had the slightest bit of care to his sister's marriage. And that would involve Kuoh as a place she's familiar with, wouldn't it? There's a big forest there, and I want you and Kiba use it to its fullest" He explained.

"I understand. So, what do I need to do?"

" Simple. You just have to run through the forest without me catching you. If you can do that, you pass." He ran to the forest, leaving Koneko to prepare.

She inhaled deeply, and started marching to the forest in standard speed. As she was passing the forest, she didn't even catch a glimpse of him. Then, she suddenly felt prying eyes on her back, trying to make a hole on her. She sweated beads and walked nervously, giving more attention to her surroundings. She suddenly saw a glimpse of moving shadow in front of her and wanted to go back, but she forced her shaking legs to march to the end.

" Hey, Koneko-" Kaito appeared behind her, but crouched immediately to avoid a heavy punch from Koneko, blowing a tree off its roots. He smiled sheepishly and apologized to her.

" Sorry. But you were too vulnerable, Koneko" He said

" Vulnerable?"

" Yes. Since you can't possibly win with numbers, I want to give you 'hit-and-run' tactic to chip off enemy's forces without being killed. See that tree over there?" He pointed to a tree about 20 meters from them.

" You can spy the enemy and quickly cover yourself from that place"

"Okay"

" Let's start again, shall we?" Koneko walked back to the starting point.

Later…

Koneko jumped on the trees like a cat, and she was very aware that time. She sharpened her five senses to make sure Kaito wasn't near her. After looking at the trees, she realized that the trees' positions wouldn't do any good to her, so she jumped to ground

*BAM*

"AAAHHH!"

She jolted in surprise when she heard such a loud noise from the forest, and Kaito's shout from the same direction. Deciding to ignore it, she continued to walk with caution.

Meanwhile….

Kaito was sitting on a tree with a black-haired woman with yellow eyes. She was in seiza position, and he was scolding her.

" So, why are you here? Didn't I tell you to stay at home?"

" Come on~ I was bored~ And I found my sister here, too…" She started with cheerful tone, and ended with quite mellow tone.

" Hm-hm. Kuroka, right now, your sister is training to help her master. I think you should respect that, right?"

" Okay" She pouted and watched Koneko from afar, while Kaito went to intercept Koneko. He ran quickly and silently to her without being noticed, and touched her shoulder.

" Hey"

" Guess I fail again" Her head dropped again, but he cheered her by saying that her growth was superb.

" By the way, senpai, why did you scream before?" She tilted her head cutely, earning an unwilling blush from him

" Uh, just tripped over a branch" He stuttered

" Okay"

He looked at the setting sun just above the horizon. The sky had started to darken considerably since he last looked at it. He turned back and walked away from the forest, and Koneko followed him. Later, they found a very unusually big mound of potatoes on Issei's plate, and quite normal portion of various foods for others.

" Ara, Koneko, Kaito. Back already?" Rias came into the room with Kiba, Akeno, Asia, and Issei. They sat down with a tired sigh, especially for Issei and Koneko, since their training was harder on them.

" So, what's with that mountain of potatoes, man?" Kaito punched Issei's arm lightly while pointing to his plate. He sheepishly laughed and sighed.

" You see, I got a _little_ too excited about learning magic, I ended up peeling every potato in that room with a simple touch" He slumped to his chair

" And it took a hell outta me too" He reached his spoon and started eating as quickly as possible. Kaito also ate his portion of food, and a lot of it, too. Jumping around the woods with only physical power was really tiring, after all. By the looks of it, the girls except Koneko weren't exactly wasted like the boys were. Kiba was better, and ready to fight again, thanks to Asia. He finished his meal and held in a burp.

" Now that we're finished, how about a bath?" Rias stood, while Kaito was taking the dishes to the sink with Kiba.

"B-BATH?!" Issei frantically stuttered with steam coming out of his nose and wide comical lewd eyes.

" Ara, ara. Looks like Issei-kun wants to join us. How about you come with us, Issei-kun. I don't mind" She said with a hand on her cheek.

" I'I don't mind, too" Asia shyly said

" Not really" Rias shrugged

" All perverts should just go die" Koneko coldly spoke, specifically to Issei who bawled on the floor.

" Too bad, Issei-kun" Akeno giggled.

Later…

" Aahh~~ Taking a hot bath really hit the spot~" Rias sighed as the hot water washed away her fatigue from sitting and reading books all day.

" You're right. This is nice~" Akeno slid inside the bath.

Asia looked at them and put her hands on her breasts. She pouted in jealousy, earning a concerned look from Koneko

" Haauu~ Rias-san and Akeno-san' bodies are very good~" She sighed and continued washing her body.

" If you worry too much, you won't get anything out of it" Koneko said

The boys were bathing too, save for Issei who was trying his hardest to peek some girls behind a steel wall. Kaito and Kiba only chuckled seeing that pervert checking the wall for a crack or something like that.

" C'mon, bro. Give it up already. The wall is made of solid steel, you know? Or you planning to break them?" Kaito tiredly spoke.

" NO! How can you be so relaxed….BUCHOU AND AKENO-SAN ARE BATHING NEXT TO US, AND YOU ASK ME _NOT_ TO PEEP?!" He shouted.

" I know, but…"

" It's a man's job to peep girls, no, it's noble indeed, an act of valor!" He raised his fist passionately.

*BONG*

" Shut up, pervert" Koneko's voice was heard from behind the wall, and Issei got hit with a bucket full of hot water.

" HOT!" He ran around naked after getting boiled water poured on him.

" Hmm~ He's so lively, that Issei" Kiba commented

"Yep… It's just like him"

Dining room…

After everyone had finished bathing, they gathered together for Rias to explain about rating game, and Asia about exorcism.

" Thousands of years ago, Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels waged war against each other, starting the Great War and laving every side crippled to the point of near extinction. Out of 72 Royal Families of devils, only a select few remained. However, we devils have very low birth rate, and incapable of breeding ourselves a population like it was before. And so, Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the current Maous invented 'Evil Piece' system to restore the numbers of devils and strengthen their power. Rather than having a huge number of infantries, he made it so every royal devil has an elite army of his/her own. Qualities over quantities, you see?" Rias explained

" What does it have to do with Rating Games?" Issei asked

" Well, it started off as a rivalry between young devils. Like, 'my Knight is better' or 'my Rook is far stronger!' and thus, the rating game was made as a way of competing against each other, and for some reasons, it ended up very popular in the Underworld."

" By the way, buchou, what did the Heavenly Dragons gave to do with war? I know they're very powerful, but…" Issei asked

" Simple. It took all three factions to defeat them and seal them in sacred gears, one being your Boosted Gear. They wreaked havoc in the battlefield by fighting each other, and destroying everything nearby in the process, so they had to take them down no matter what." Rias looked at him.

" All factions….to stop two dragons. Now that's something" Kaito commented

" You've known about the extent of our abilities, why don't you tell us about _yours_ , Kaito?" Rias asked

" Yeah, but, I've told you all right? Swords" He materialized a sword in his hand

" Is that so?" Her eyes sharpened.

" What did you expect?" He spoke innocently

{Ignore him, princess of Gremory} A voice boomed from his left hand.

" Zecrow! Now, of all times!" Kaito tried to hide his hand

{ Come on, partner. It would be fine, really. Whatever that runs in your head won't come true so easily} He said seriously.

" But-"

{No buts. Well, sorry for the intrusion, but it seems my partner needs to snap out of his….unusual way of thinking once in a while}

" What kind of way?" Koneko asked with monotone voice.

{ I believe you want to know his powers, not his mind.}

" Fine. Tell us" Rias spoke

{ Okay, his powers are quite unusual, so to speak…hey, summon it already!} Zecrow mentally slapped him

" Fine, fine. Geez" He brought out **[Reality Gear** ].

" Buchou, could you show me your magic?"

" Okay" Her power of destruction came out of her hand.

 **{Absorb}**

Her magic was gone and appeared on Kaito's hand. He analyzed it for a while and dispersed it. Then, he walked out

" Come with me for a while. It won't take long" He opened the door, and faced the mountain. The others followed along to see.

" Okay" He inhaled, and exhaled in a rhythm

His body started to get surrounded by a thick dark crimson mist, and his pupils turned into slits with ominous look on them.

" T-That's my power! How in the world-" Rias was out of words already, seeing Kaito holding HER power of destruction in a same way as her brother. A dark red sphere came out of his hand, and he threw it to the ground

*BOOOMM*

In that instant, the mountain across them, or at least the top of it, was disintegrated to nothingness, almost destroying half of it. Rias and the others felt nothing, as if the mountain had been cleanly cut with a very huge blade or something.

" U-unbelievable…." Kiba looked at the former mountain.

" Horrible, right? A power to copy and custom others' powers into my own liking…I feel bad for the original users" He looked at his hand with grief.

" Custom?" Issei tilted his head, confused

{ That's right, Sekiryuutei. This boy here has the power to absorb the essence of other's powers, meld it into his uniquely personal power.}

" So, that's it! It's like you see my power of destruction and mold your own power to have the same essence as mine. But that's making an original, not copying, you know?" Rias simply smiled at him

{ I've told him a thousand times but he just won't listen} Zecrow sighed tiredly.

"Then, your originals?" Koneko asked

{ It's hard to explain. My abilities are more than just copying, but it's also creation. It sits well with his own power, 'swords' and some of his…unusual ones}

" Like what?"

 **{Bound!}** A metallic voice came out from Kaito's gauntlet. Rias suddenly felt a bit weak, and tried to summon her magic, but nothing came out.

" I can limit my enemy's power, according to my own. If it's too enormous, I can't bind it.  
But, it'll cut the enemies power in half, and can't be regenerated by any means."

" What?"

" Because your power doesn't vanish, but limited. It's like using layers on someone's power, actually" He raised his hand, and her magic came back.

" Well, I'm also good with magic, weapons, and martial arts, but I prefer human magic. That's the gist of my abilities" Kaito shrugged his shoulders. _  
" So that's his other ability. Honestly, that white girl…"_ Rias walked inside along with everyone.

{ In the end, you didn't tell them 'that', huh?}

" I don't have that power now, anyway"

{For now}

* * *

" Kiba, now I want you to use this…" Kaito threw a bokuto at him, and slashed a huge stone beside him, leaving a huge crack line on it.

"….to do this" He put his wooden sword on his shoulder.

" A knight's sword must be sharp, but great swords aren't everything. If mastered, you can cut steel with just a wooden sword easily. So let's work on that first"

" Okay" He obliged, but was starting to slump big time. Kaito laughed lightly and Akeno walked to Issei.

" Okay, Issei-kun. Use the Boosted Gear now"

Issei obliged and summoned his gear. Then, Akeno told him to use his magic. Issei gaped, which looked very funny. After some teasing and forcing, he gave up. He lifted his gear and charged up a small marble-size red sphere. He charged the gear for about 10 times already.

 **[Boost!]**

" _As I thought, I'm just a noob"_ He frustrated.

 **[Boost!]**

" Have confident, Issei" Akeno cheered

 **[Boost!]**

Since Issei was originally a guy with confidence overload, taking a cheer from a nadeshiko made him man up quite fast. He cocked his arm back, and with a punch, a ray of red beam came out of the sphere.

" Dragon Shot!" He shouted.

That beam raced through the forest, destroying everything it came in contact with until it hit a mountain beside the mountain Kaito deliberately ruined before. And wow, he got a nice, er, destructive results. That mountain had a massive hole on it, as if a giant with a massive sniper just shot through it for no good reason.

" Ha! Look at that! I just pulled a Kaito on that mountain!" Issei declared proudly.

" That attack just now…it was equivalent to elites of High-class devils…." Rias found her mouth slightly opened when she regained her composure.

" Nice, Issei! As expected of the red dragon!" He gave a nice slap to his back.

" Well, Issei-kun. What were you saying about being the weakest of us all?" Akeno crossed her arms under her breasts.

" Yeah. I'm very sorry, Akeno-sama" He knelt in front of her.

" Well, now that's settled….How about your training, Kiba?" Kaito turned to see Kiba sweating beads and a pile of broken bokutos beside his feet.

" You can't break a large stone like that with a bokuto without so much power behing, but you can make a slice if you concentrate all the power into 1 spot." He said.

" Okay" He tried again

" By the way, Koneko, spar with Issei, will you? Asia, practice magic with Akeno. Kaito, come with me" Rias gave out instructions, and walked to the study with Kaito.

* * *

" So, what did you want to talk about?"

" Could you help me search info about phenex? There's still this much…..I just can't do it all by myself" She swayed hazily, and fell to a sofa nearby. Kaito simply laughed and sat on the floor after yanking a book off that pile of books.

" By the way, buchou, I can see you hate that arrogant chicken, but why are you so opposed to it? I mean, don't princesses do that all the time?" He didn't lift his face from the book.

She straightened herself and opened her mouth hesitantly, until Issei crashed the wooden wall beside her. He quickly apologized, and faced Koneko again.

" ….What was that?"

" Well…"

Then, they laughed together, information be damned…..now, at least.

" Koneko, try to spar with him" Rias pointed at Kaito nonchalantly.

" And Kaito….no swords, just fists" She warned

" 'Kay" He warmed up.

" Ready?"

Without her saying' Go!' , they exchanged blows, or rather, Koneko was the one blowing, while Kaito parrying. Koneko launched a swift kick to his nape, but he dodged by simply side-stepping. Koneko kept punching and kicking, and when he dodged a punch from her, she elbowed him.

" Nice move"

She tried punching his head, but he grabbed her hand, and slammed her to the ground after spinning her in the air. She recovered quickly, but Kaito already ready. He forced a wicked kick to her stomach, sending her crashing trees. He sighed, but Koneko leaped from a tree above, ready to execute him.

" Gotcha" He flashed a calm smile full of bloodlust, and back-flipped, with his legs entangling her fist. He used his hands to stand, and threw Koneko to the ground again, but this time, he was on top of her.

" I lost" She raised her arms as Kaito's fist was in front of her face

After dinner…..

" Well, guys. I'm going to bed. See ya tomorrow morning" Issei yawned tiredly. Kaito and Kiba followed along. In no time, Kaito was already asleep despite Issei's violent snores that kept Kiba from entering his land of dreams.

Kaito's POV

I found myself in a dark room with no lights at all. It's usually like this whenever Zecrow or some spirits have some business with me….. Oh, well. Guess every place had their own haunting ghosts after all.

" _Die..."_ I heard a dim voice cooing from this place. I turned his awareness to full overdrive mode, since that word was quite popular for a painful death specially designed for me. I looked around, and found no one.

" _I want to diee…."_ That eerie voice spooked me again, but somehow that voice was really familiar. I got the answer quite quickly after he saw an transparent boy sitting on the corner, arms hugging his knees.

I walked towards the boy, and he lifted his face. I found out why that voice was so familiar. He was him. His younger self looked weary with bags under his eyes, pale skin, and emotionless eyes. He was so thin I couldn't believe that was me. But what really scared me was the fact that I looked exactly like that during middle school. Eyes that had given up on this world….A trait only I could redeem as mine and mine alone

" _It's better when you didn't come, you know?"_

" _Because of this guy, I got isolated"_

Some people appeared from the darkness, yet he felt darkness was better than seeing their ghastly forms, resembling those who had crippled him. And then, a particular girl came out from the shadows, and glared at him not with resentment, but disgust.

" _You disgusting creep. Die already"_

Those words. Those accursed words haunting him without rest, and he felt something inside him breaking down to pieces with their words and curses.

"AAAHHH!" I shot up from my sleep after screaming inside that horrendous darkness looming before me, and the reality greeted me. I rubbed my chest, my scars started to tingle again, and I snickered

" I will. Pretty soon"

Walking out at night had always been a paradise for me. Those dreams….their intervals were shorter than ever. I steadied my breathing and walked away, still clutching my hurting chest and rubbed my eyes, finding no tears wetting them. He stared smugly at his hands and smirked. He saw his hopeless self on the mirror, his true self, if only he wasn't a great trickster. He walked out and found himself laying down on a field of grass, thinking about what would happen from then on.

" Kaito?" Rias' feet were visible, and she sat beside him. I felt a surge of dreadful feelings of wanting to run away, lock myself in a locker, and waste quietly without harming anyone. But this place…. was very nice. The grass wasn't very sharp, although I didn't really feel it, since I had clothes on, but you'd get what I meant.

" Kaito?"

I looked up, and saw Rias clad in white night gown, which was really, really thin and glasses on her. She looked down to me, smiled, and sat down beside me. After she finally relaxed on the grass, which would've been hard, considering how thin her gown was, she faced me.

" Hey, it's rare to see you in glasses"

" Devils don't have such problems. It's just something I use for style" She put it away

" I guess this shows how accustomed I am to this world"

" So that's it? You don't want to leave human world so you're planning to fight that chicken for your freedom?"

" Well, I guess that's one of my reasons….But, no. It's not that" She sat, letting the winds blow her brilliant red hair.

" Since I was little, I've always wanted to experience love, true love, without being chained by the name of Gremory. Don't get me wrong. I'm proud of being a Gremory and I love my family. It's just…" Kaito sighed and turned to her

" It's lonely being at the top, isn't it? Having to do this and that, with people eyeing your every actions every day, and those absurd expectations… really tiring" I finished for her

" …Yes. But most of all, I hate being seen as the princess of Gremory. All my suitors….they didn't care about my well being or who I really am. They just want to get me like a trophy on their shelves, all for extra wealth and influence they'd get for me." She fell down on the grass again.

" For me, you being a princess is a part of you, and surely it's something that's shaping you to what you are…But it's also true that it's not everything about you. Outside the castle, you're Rias Gremory, and I intend to see you as whole. So take pride and live the way you want. That's how devils do things, right?" I smirked at her.

She looked shocked at my statement and put her hand on her bountiful chest. Her smile grew wider, and she finally spoke:

" You're right. That's just a part of me." She smiled in satisfaction, looking so content for my words. I simply shrugged at her reaction.

" Enough about me, how about you? "

Uh, oh. I had a bad feeling about this.

" I looked at you school profile. It's said that you're just a normal smart guy with no notes or recording about your status or achievements. So-" She looked at my sleeping body. She simply stopped talking and put my head on her lap. Honestly, that was my first skin contact with a woman, and a gorgeous one at that. Her thighs were soft and smooth, it was better than any pillow in the world!

" I can't see a male like you being so normal" She caressed my hair

Okay, although that was _really_ nice, I wasn't used to contact with women, so it took all my concentration to not pull a tomato right there and then, causing me to blush inwardly all night before finally falling asleep.

* * *

I woke up the next day, but it was still too soon for other to wake up. I saw Rias sleeping on my chest peacefully without a care for the world. I lifted her gently, not wanting to wake her up from her dreams, and walked to her room to put her on bed. After that, I went to continue my dreamy journey in my own room.

Time skip…..Normal POV

" Okay. Let's see how much you've improved" Rias said. Koneko walked in and punched a large boulder to dust. Kiba sliced a huge stone he couldn't put a dent on, giving it a nasty vertical mark on it. Asia and Akeno just giggled and Issei was laughing with a comical lewd expression on his face. Kaito walked to Rias.

" Stick to the plan, and try to enter the forest. He won't dare to burn you, I promise."

" Okay. Now, let's give Riser Phenex his first defeat!" She declared.

" YEAH!" Her peerage responded.

* * *

 **I'm sorry for the late update. Since school is on, I may be busy for a while and it'll take a lot of time to update. But I'l try to update at least twice a month, so stay tuned! Rate and Review please**


	6. A Failing Game

**Hey, guys. Sorry for the sudden hiatus. My computer suddenly got infected with virus and well, I couldn't do anything for a while. But, all things considered, I could finally upload again. Okay, let's start the 6** **th** **chapter!**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine**

* * *

After ten days of rigorous training, the ORC would finally face their first rating game, with Rias' freedom on the line. Even with the advantages Kaito had set for them, the pressure was still great. That being said, Rias and Akeno were relaxed and drinking tea silently. Asia was wearing a nun outfit and Issei was beside her. Kiba with a sword sheathed on his hip and Koneko with fingerless gloves on.

" It is time. Let's go, everyone" Rias stood up and walked to the magic circle, followed by everyone. Issei closed his eyes, and opened it a few seconds later. He looked around and saw the sky was green, and it was a common fact that earth's sky wasn't green.

" Now, we shall commence the rating game between Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex. I am a maid of Gremory, Grayfia, and I will be announcing this game." Grayfia's voice echoed through the room.

" Yeah. Give it your all" Kaito's voice also boomed from an intercom nearby. Rias took out some pink light balls and gave it to Issei and the others.

" A receiver. This way, we can communicate" She explained, then she put her hand on Issei's forehead. He felt something was released from inside his body, and started swelling around his body like flames.

" This is…"

" Your inherent power, Issei. I had to seal it before because your body couldn't endure such power, but now, you can use it as much as you like." She smiled.

Akeno and Koneko went out to set traps and tricks in the forests nearby. They came back to report and suddenly, Grayfia's voice bellowed

" BEGIN!"

Issei ran to the nearest window and charged up his power. He aimed at the new school building and pointed his Boosted Gear at Phenex's base.

" Dragon Shot!" He shouted, and shot a beam of compressed demonic energy, blowing up the room effectively.

" Riser Phenex's two pawns, one bishop retired"

 _"_ _Nice. According to plan"_ Kaito smirked evilly from the announcer's room.

Later…

Koneko and Issei were marching to the gym to intercept enemy's advance. They sneaked up, and turned on the lights.

" Well, well. Rias Gremory's pawn and rook." A voluptuous female in blue cheongsam stared at them, along with two lolis in gym suits.

" Issei-san, I'll take care of the rook. You keep those pawns at bay." She cracked her knuckles eagerly.

" Okay, Koneko-chan" Issei started boosting his power.

" Slice apart, slice apart~~" The twin loli pulled out nasty chainsaws with singsong tone. Issei sweat-dropped and chuckled nervously.

" Okay, it's time to get separated~" They attacked him with those chainsaws. He dodged their attacks quickly to buy time for some boosts.

 **[Boost!]**

He smirked evilly and stole a glance at Koneko, who had her opponent in a Boston Crab. It really hurt for sure, since Kaito did it to him before, and it was hell.

" Okay. Killer-move…" He spread his bat wings and raised his gauntlet.

" DRESS-BREAK~" He lunged at them like a madman, touching their clothes. Then, he snapped his finger and their clothes, underwear in included, disintegrated to tiny pieces of fabric

"KYAAH~!" The victims exclaimed while hiding their private parts.

" You perv!"

"Enemy of all women!"

" MWAHAHA~~ Behold, my special move! Dress Break!" He exclaimed.

Announcer's room…

" Although that was very inappropriate, I'll say that it was original." Sona's queen, Tsubaki Shinra rubbed her temples.

" Just say it was gross. He wouldn't hear it, anyway" Kaito sweatdropped.

" Ara, what a lewd move" A voice cooed from behind him. When he turned, he saw Hana with her white jacket and headphones smiling sweetly at him

" Hey."

" Spatial portal?"

" Bingo"

Kaito simply nodded and focused on the game again.

" Riser Phenex's two pawns, retired"

" Kiba…It had to be him" Issei looked at the sky with a smirk. He had finished three pieces with one dragon shot, and they left the gym for Akeno to stand guard. As expected, Riser mobilized all his pieces. Some went to the forest, some to the gym again.

" All according to plan…" Kaito and Rias smirked simultaneously.

" BOOOMM!"

Akeno blasted the whole gym with a massive lightning bolt. Since Akeno wasn't flying, she couldn't be seen from the other side of the building. They marched together and met with Kiba. Then, Koneko leaped to the forests to assassinate Riser's remaining pieces, while Kiba and Issei picking up the leftovers.

" Riser Phenex's one knight and one pawn retired ."

" How many are they?"

" One pawn, one rook, one knight, one bishop and queen"

" Okay. Let's finish this"

" Knight of Gremory, I'm tired with this game of tag. Let us fight fair and square!" A girl's voice echoed through the forest.

 _"_ _Idiot. It's like asking Koneko to slap her"_ Kaito thought.

" Very well." Kiba came out

 _"…_ _.o-kay, he'll do"_ Kaito chuckled inwardly

" Say, did Rias make this plan? It's kinda…devious" Hana said

" Of course not. I made it. Along with her, duh"

"Wow" She watched

* * *

" I am Karlamine, Knight of Riser Phenex. Let us fight, knight of Gremory!"

" Kiba Yuuto. I accept!"

They both unsheathed their own swords, and a second later, they were in a deadly bout of swords.

" My, when I finally thought I could find a cute boy… turns out he's a sword freak." A blonde girl with drill-style hair came out with a delinquent girl with mask, and a girl with a staff. Issei and Koneko ignored them and kept watching two knights dancing with their weapons. Kiba's techniques had improved considerably since his training with Kaito. With that, he was already good enough to overpower her, but because she had a nicer sword, his sword crumbled to dust after a few clashes with her flaming sword.

" Well, well. Look at that." Kiba charged to the relaxed knight and sliced his newly formed ice sword to her. Having caught off guard, he froze her sword and shattered it effectively.

" Multiple gears? No matter. We Phoenix rule fire, life, and wind!" She threw that broken sword aside, and pulled a short sword that created a violent hot vortex of wind around them.

" That Karlamine! Is she planning to burn us too?"

" Be calm" Kiba's sword morphed again, and this time, it's a sword with a hole on its tip. The hole started to suck the vortex and with a gulp, the air was calm again.

It looked like the other pieces were already tired of waiting, and because there was no one to assassinate from the forest, Koneko jumped from the forest and axe-kicked the blue haired pawn down to earth.

" Everyone is gathered here, after all." She joined Issei and Akeno.

" Riser Phenex's one pawn, retired." Grayfia announced.

" Issei Hyoudou… I'm your enemy!" The female delinquent started punching Issei with ridiculous force and power. Issei, however, was barely dodging her assault and bought time to boost his power. After making her angry because her attacks didn't connect, Issei received a wicked kick to the gut, sending him flying. He coughed a few times, and stood up shakily.

" Seems like the princess had trained you well. You're quite durable for pawn" She smirked, while taking her boxer stance again

" Well, yeah. Since I got trained with an unexpected demon, after all." He chuckled lightly, and sent out a dragon shot she barely dodged.

 _"_ _That was dangerous! I need to take him down here, right now!"_ She thought, but Issei was already in front of her, touching her shoulder. Of course, he got socked, but with a victory smile, he mumbled.

" Dress Break"

" KYAAAHH!" She screamed in shame as her clothes disintegrated. Issei clapped his hands and thanked Maou for the treat, and shot a dragon shot at her again, causing her to disappear in a bright flash. Suddenly, Issei's gauntlet glowed bright red.

 **{BOOSTED GEAR, SECOND LIBERATION!}** Ddraig announced.

The gauntlet creaked like an upgraded machine and changed into a more dragonic form, with additional two gold fangs from it.

" Ohh~ this should be useful" Issei looked at his boosted gear 2.0

" They got away!" Koneko said

" Go after them! They're going for buchou!" Akeno flew there in full speed.

When they arrived, they saw Akeno and Rias with burnt marks all over their body, and Asia who was healing them. They looked relieved with Issei, Kiba, and Koneko's presence.

" Sorry for the wait, buchou. Hey, crispy yakitori! Look here!" Issei shot a dragon shot at Riser. He merely flew away of the way.

" C-crispy?! No one calls Riser that!" He landed on the ground and unleashed a ring of fire nearby. Akeno put up a shield, so they didn't get burned.

" Kiba!"

" Yes, Issei-kun!" He stabbed his sword to the ground, and a trail of power raced towards Issei. He punched it and roared

" BOOSTED GEAR GIFT!"

 **{Transfer!}**

From where he was standing, swords jutted out from the ground all around him and nearly pierced everyone of Riser's peerage.

" How about that? It's called…boosted gear gift!" He grinned in confidence.

Announcer's room…

" Looks like Rias has cornered him." Hana said

" Uh-huh"

" Are they sure to win?"

" I can't be sure yet. That crisp still has that smug smirk on, after all" He leaned back

Battlefield…

The ORC was picked one by one by the queen, until Akeno entered the fray and fought her one-on-one. Finally, she got defeated, but before she could even breathe, she was incinerated by Riser's flame. Issei faced Riser personally with his gear on.

" It's you and me, chicken" He used a stance.

" Huh. It's not like a vermin like you can ever stand in my way, anyway!" He flew up with his flaming wings. He smirked smugly and hovered over the area, carpet bombing Rias and the others with flames.

Announcer's room…

" DAMN!" Kaito slammed the table angrily. He gritted his teeth and looked at the screen with frustrated expression on his face.

" That naïve red head…She didn't do my homework!"

Everyone deadpanned, including Grayfia. Hana came and put him to his chair, and Grayfia simply stared in amusement.

 _"_ _I told her to win no matter whatever the way, and her stupid pride is going to make her engaged to that crappy chicken head. Idiot"_

Battle field…

" Kiba, Kiba!" Issei grabbed Kiba and ran from a chicken's nasty carpet bombs. Rias and Akeno were hovering on air, throwing red blocks and thunder to him, but they didn't do much, since he regenerated quickly. Asia also took cover below the roof, and Issei was bringing him to her

" Rias Gremory's knight, retired"

Kiba disappeared from his hold and Issei continued to march for Asia. Perhaps Grayfia got distracted by that commotion Kaito made earlier. After he took Asia, he went back to the roof, and saw a fierce battle between two queens. However, Akeno's eyes were diverted multiple times because Rias was having a one on one against Riser. She already took quite much damage, and her miko clothes were tattered.

" Akeno-san, Buchou!" Issei shouted.

They pulled back as Akeno shot a magic circle which spewed out lightning on the way. Asia immediately healed them.

" Buchou. I've promoted to queen. Let's beat that Riser!" He exclaimed.

" Alright. Let's do this!"

Akeno flew back to the action, completely revitalized and crazy mad. She fared against the already tired Bomb Queen, and claimed victory by frying her in lightning. She disintegrated to blue particles after Grayfia announced her retirement.

" It's too late…" Kaito mumbled

His hunch was right. Asia was bombarded by Riser, and she retired immediately. In short, their last string had been cut. Issei ran furiously to Riser, and punched him square on the face. He punched him over and over again, until he finally used a dragon shot at close range and blew off his head.

" Hhh…Hhhh.." Issei slumped down, but he didn't notice Riser's ashes formed a head. He stared in shock as a fully formed Riser towered over him with a pissed off face.

" You lowly scum…How dare you!" His hands flared in fire

" Uh-oh"

Issei was about to get roasted when Akeno rained a volley of thunderbolts on Riser. Rias also launched a magic circle that amplified her magic considerably. As a result, the whole roof was leveled down to second floor.

" Ouch…" Issei rubbed his head.

He stood shakily. Riser suddenly grabbed his collar and threw him across the room. He slammed against the wall and started getting beaten up by that chicken

" You-scum-by the time- I'm- done- I'll have-fun-with all-Rias'-peerage!" He puched him on every pause, which would sound very funny if Issei weren't beaten to a pulp. Issei's eyes lit up with hatred, as he thought of Akeno getting molested by a KFC. He toughed out every last one of Riser's punches and shot a very nasty look at him. Rias couldn't bear to watch. All her peerage was terminated by this bird, and Issei was being a punching bag for Riser.

" STOP RISER!"

They both turned to see Rias in tears. She pulled Issei away and said

" I surrender"

* * *

 **Well, that's about it. As you all probably expect, Riser's ass will be kicked next. Thanks for reading, as always!**


	7. A Prick's Major Beatdown

**Hello again, this is chapter 7. I rewrote this chapter to adjust to the story.**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine.**

Kaito went home with an extremely furious expression on his face. In the end, Rias didn't trust him enough to completely follow through. He was already searching so much to blackmail the damned yakitori and win it, too.

Verbal abusing was in line with Rating Games, the fact was undeniable.

All in all, every kind of tactics was legal in rating games. So, it wasn't so weird to see the opponent withdrawing without a fight. He even toned it down to her liking, and she didn't even use it.

" I'm home…"

He opened the window of his room, only to see Raynare sitting on his bed reading a book and Kuroka spinning around with his chair. Both of them turned to him and smiled. Except for Kuroka, that is.

" Nyaaa~ Kaito, pat me! Pat me!"

The nekomata lunged at him like, well, a cat. Kaito caught her without falling and carried her back inside. It would be disastrous if his parents were to see it, after all. He looked at Raynare, who noticed his stare and lowered her book.

" So, how did it go?"

" Bad. Very bad. Now she's going to get wed like a stuck-up princess to that vulgar yakitori guy and I have exhausted my means to free her."

She sighed, understanding how foolish higher-ups could be, especially a race with overwhelming greediness such as devils.

" Well, can't be helped. That's just how devils are."

" I know. But, still, I'm pissed."

Raynare crossed her legs and closed one eyes, adopting a smug look on her face.

" Knowing you, I expect some kind of…twist for this?"

Kaito also smirked at his fallen and laughed lightly.

" My last trick depends on how much her brother loves her. IF he lets her fall into that creep's hands, I can do nothing…"

A white magic circle with the Gremory symbol on it blazed on the floor, revealing a white-haired maid, Grayfia. Her face was as stoic as ever, it was likely a part of her character.

" But, if her brother's queen comes to me for help, what can I do?"

The maid looked at him with a feign amusement in her eyes. She extended her hand, revealing a disposable magic portal.

" I trust you know what this means?"

" Oh, but of course."

He started cracking his knuckles.

" If you want to save my sister, then storm the hall… that's what my master's message to you. And from my own…good luck."

She left on her own portal after that. Now with the authority, all that's left would be equipments, and he knew where to find them.

[Before you go…Have you done your daily maintenance?]

The sudden voice threw the whole room, save for Kaito, to total disarray. Raynare reflexively brought her fist up, smacking his face in, while Kuroka biting him out of shock.

" Ouch…Heey, quit shocking them!"

[ Hmph. You've become quite lively. But, back to the question. Have you done it?]

A man in blacksmith attire appeared in front of him with a hammer on his waist. He crossed his arms, showing off his firm and shaped muscles.

" I don't have much time, so…"

[SO YOU DIDN'T!]

Kaito clicked his tongue in annoyance.

" Oi, I'm gonna do it later, so chill off. Don't worry about me."

He opened the door and vanished. Raynare stood up and confronted the burly guy with hammer before he went.

" What's with this maintenance? What's wrong with him?!"

[ So, he didn't tell anyone, as I thought…Did you know what happened in Kuoh several years ago?]

" I wasn't there."

[ Well, I'll tell you. More than half of this town's population fell into deep coma, nearly a year of total panic and isolation.]

" What?"

[ Indeed. That was a taboo for us to say this, but that was one of the few disasters the spirits have ever had to face. He eradicated the whole island from anything supernatural in one fell swoop, unintentionally.]

" I heard that Kuoh was built in mere two years, so it was before then. Wait, was Kaito a grade schooler when that happened?"

[Yes. Imagine if he explodes now. And that kind of power isn't without a price. He might even take his own life in process]

Being honest, she didn't care one bit about this shitty world. Before she met him, she was merely a female handyman for laborious works. No one actually cared about her well-being. Even if she died, no one would be particularly sad. But, now, she had someone to care about, and she wasn't going to let it slip away from her grasp.

" _Don't waste your tears on me."_

No, she never wanted to see that again. She didn't want to feel like that again.

But, if she told him that, he'd just laugh it off and pat her on the head. And in the end, he'd somehow find a way to keep everyone safe, with him suffering alone. Yeah, that sounded like what he'd do.

Meanwhile…

" Asia! Sorry for waking you, but I need some of your mementos from church!"

The blonde came out with red eyes.

" Sniff~ Kaito-san. Please come in first…"

" Oops, excuse me."

He entered the house, only to see Issei getting bandaged here and there like a mummy. He could see scorch marks and bruises on him, the severe ones at that. He was lucky he had Asia to heal him, or he might end up getting mortal wounds.

" He's in pretty bad shape, isn't he?"

Issei couldn't even get up from his bed. Kaito clenched his fist in rage. That freaking yakitori was going to pay, immortal or not. A game shouldn't be this brutal, especially when it was just a mock game between two families.

" Eye for an eye, blood for blood. You're going to pay dearly."

" Kaito-san. This is the item…"

Asia came running with a chest in her arms. Kaito opened it and looked at its content, then shoved them to his personal pocket.

" Thanks, Asia."

" Please win and bring Buchou back, Kaito-san."

Kaito threw the magic circle Grayfia gave to the floor and a portal manifested. He smirked and jumped there, waiting for a while until he got transported.

" Yeah. I'm getting her back."

He arrived just in front of the gates and man, they were enormous! He walked past it, as it was opened. Maybe guests often came with portals, too.

" _But, damn…I think the whole place was glistening, but they were all covered with silver and gold! Just how rich are they, anyway?"_

His surprise was well-founded. In his life, he never saw a place with gold-covered walls anywhere. And the sheer size of the place was astounding. He might even get leg cramps if he were to walk the whole place. Eventually, he reached a guarded door.

" This should be the hall…"

But, before he could enter the hall, he was stopped by several guards. It couldn't be helped, since he wore casual clothing there instead of a tuxedo.

" This place isn't for bimbos!"

Wasting no time, he raised his hand and lightly back-handed both of them. As a result, both were planted to the wall beside him.

" Oops…Looks like I did get stronger by changing to dragon. Aah~ gotta be careful from now on."

He walked inside without much resistance, oh, there was a slight disturbance. All guards in the room immediately attacked him without warning after seeing him in casual clothes and not being a devil.

" Do you guys attack random guests, or it's just me?"

As he previously said, no big deal.

The guards were either planted like a radish or embedded to a wall. Some were also sleeping near his feet. But, instead of being angry, a devil came out clapping.

" So, you came…Thanks for answering my invitation."

Meanwhile…

" What's with this dress? It's like I'm marrying him right off the bat!"

Rias complained when she looked at herself at the mirror. She was stunningly beautiful, alright, but there was certainly a royal problem with the clothes! It was a pearl white dress with a low V-cut on the chest, revealing the upper part of her cleavage and a diamond cut on the back, revealing her back. She wasn't some store product to be shown!

" But, in a way, I guess I am."

She looked at herself once again and pressed her hands on her wondrous assets. In the end, she wasn't able to break free of this damned engagement. Her dreams were crushed the moment she surrendered.

" At least Issei and Asia would be okay…"

Her dreams of knight in white horse, her desire, and her pride as a woman, all shattered in front of her.

" _I should've blackmailed that yakitori, after all. Now I feel bad for not using his materials…"_

Her thoughts were halted when Raiser came, but the maids managed to shoo him away. But, still, that damaged her mood even more. After the maids deemed her presentable, she walked to the portal and appeared on the stage beside her esteemed fiancé.

" What is this?"

She saw Kaito with several armed guards trying to apprehend him with her brother smiling at him.

" Riser. I feel that my sister's engagement needs some more spice to it. So, I called him. And also considering the handicap my sister got…"

Riser clicked his tongue in displeasure.

" Don't tell me…Are you unsatisfied with the results?"

" Not at all! If I did, the game's rating would drop. I just want to present more entertainment for this party."

" Besides, you're the one who challenged me."

He spared a glance at Kaito, who smiled back at him.

" Say, he's my sister's trainer. And with ten days, he managed to raise their stats enough to match your entire peerage. Don't you think it might be interesting?"

Riser looked at him arrogantly. He thought it would be easy to just eliminate this whelp and ensure his powers in front of the guests here. It wasn't a bad deal, in fact, it benefited him.

" An anonymous challenger versus the esteemed phoenix. Now that's what I'd call an exciting match."

" Very well."

Kaito gave his answer almost immediately. It was his intention, anyway.

" Then, young man. What do you want as your reward? As long as it's within reason, I'll give it to you. Women, riches, or perhaps authority?"

Before he could answer, an elder raised his voice.

" But, Sir Zechs-sama! There's no need to give this plebeian a gift! He's nothing like us nobles!"

" May I remind you, elder? I am here to fulfill Maou's invitation, and I'm not a devil. Thus, I stand on the same ground as you. We are both attendants to this party right now."

His eyes constricted.

" Don't use your laws to bind me."

It totally made sense, and the elder wasn't too stupid to press on and voice his demands. If he did so, Kaito would gladly and mercilessly strike him down verbally. If idiots required dirty languages to send out verbal attacks, he preferred using sophisticated words to make sure he was on higher position than his opponents. There are various ways to express something with words, after all.

" _Looks like he's no ordinary kid, after all. It was right decision to trust him."_

" I'll have her as my reward."

He pointed to the bride.

Sir Zechs smiled and raised his arms.

" Let the fight…begins!"

Both Riser and Kaito were transported to a dimensional room personally made for this occasion. It resembled a huge chess, complete with large pieces. One would need to be a colossus just to lift the pieces, truly befitting of a heavyweight type of game.

" _And I thought playing chess should involve brains, not brawns."_

Riser stood on a king piece, obviously trying to look cool. He failed, though, since the one in front of him was a guy.

" Brat! I'll leave you half-dead in ten seconds!"

Riser jumped and let loose his fiery wings. Kaito scoffed and flexed his muscles. Then, he raised his hand with a 'come on!' gesture.

" Yeah? Then, try it!"

The so-called phoenix soared high and encased both of his arms in flames. Kaito simply waited for him to release his first attack.

" Eat this! The great flame of phoenix, take it if you can!"

He threw two balls of orange flames at him. He sidestepped and suddenly disappeared from sight. The explosion provided more than enough smoke screen for him. Riser looked around, unable to see where he was.

" Show yourself! Fight me like a man!"

He started to flail his arms around, hoping to hit an invisible target. For him, anyway. Kaito was actually behind him.

" Like a man?"

His voice was like a bucket of cold water thrown to his neck. Before he even had the chance to turn back, there was already a gaping hole on his chest with Kaito's fist sticking out from it. His hair shadowed his expression, but the spectators could tell his sinister smile beyond those black curtains.

" Say for yourself, idiot."

" A-Agh…You brat…"

Using his superior physical strength, he lifted him up and smashed him to the ground, leaving a huge spider crack on it, head first. He whistled. The yakitori's head didn't get busted after all. Perhaps it's true that idiots had hard heads.

" A normal guy's head would break like eggs if I smashed him like this…"

" OI! MY HEAD'S NOT FOR SHOW!"

" Yes it is. I'm making a show out of it now, aren't I?"

His mouth was completely shut by his cold remark. Kaito lifted him up again and smashed his other fist on his stomach, sending him flying to a pawn piece, completely obliterating it.

" 50% percent power release…"

He lifted the physical brain limiter on his body, giving him monstrous physical power. It was just physical power, though. A human is weaker than devil, but that was caused by an inborn brain limiter imposed to them. Humans could only use their partial strength, so of course they would be weaker than devils. In all actuality, humans were superior, or at least on par with devils in terms of physical strength.

" Now…Riser. I'm going to get close and comfy, if you don't mind…"

His choice of words and attitude made the arrogant devil shiver wildly. He started throwing fire spheres at him endlessly while releasing his wings.

" Oh, no, you don't!"

Kaito dashed and created a katana from thin air. He quickly and accurately slashed all incoming spheres in half and stopped right in front of Raiser. He stabbed the katana to his torso and spun hard, and kicked the hilt of the sword.

The sword lodged in his torso went even deeper, and the guard halted it. Riser's body was also sent flying along with it, stabbing the queen's piece. He struggled to release the sword in his stomach, since it was buried deep and his fire couldn't melt it off.

" I expect someone who has outstanding regeneration will have great pain tolerance, so I'll make this as painful as possible."

His laugh sent even more chills on his way, and he started to shiver, again. Riser suddenly grabbed the sword in his stomach and started pulling it. He infused magic to his arms to make it stronger, and finally chucked out the sword with a nasty grunt. He smirked smugly with two fireballs in his hands.

" My turn, pleb- GUAAHH!"

Kaito was already in front of him and sent a devastating knee to his stomach. Then, an uppercut straight to the jaw, then a roundhouse kick, and finally he flipped and smashed his heel against his face, getting a satisfying crack from his cranium. As a result, Riser, especially the head, was buried 3 feet under the ground, from head to shoulder.

But, that idiot still screamed and stood up again. This time, he even brought out his wings and flew up.

" Still trying, huh? Just give it up already!"

This time, Kaito sliced off both his arms and discarded his sword. Then, he clutched the fiery wings and tore them off his back. The brutality even made the spectators wince in pity. Now Riser was screaming and holding his back.

Kaito was shaking a bit, too. His current level of power couldn't hold off his physical strength any longer, any more and he might hurt his limbs. Sure, he could do even more than this all day, but his body would be sore as hell the next day.

" My swords aren't what they used to be…I'll just have to make do with this, then."

He walked to a pawn piece and hugged it. With a grunt, the massive piece was lifted. Kaito held it with one hand, and swung it like a baseball bat.

And voila!

Batter-1, yakitori ball-0.

After that, he pulled out a vial of unknown liquid from his pocket and splattered its content on a katana he pulled out from Riser's torso. Seeing that simple action, Riser couldn't shake off this strange feeling he had. Whatever he was using, it was bad, really bad news for him. With all his might, he flared his wings again, and soared out of his range.

" Seems like tearing off your wings is downright pointless, isn't it?"

He used simple magic to float around, instead of revealing his wings. They looked too much like Fallen's wings and it might make a lot of mess later. Using magic was the best alternative he could think of right now.

" Boy, lucky hits won't finish me!"

As arrogant as ever, that failed yakitori. Even though his face was freaking messy.

Suddenly, the world spun around him, followed by a major headache. He started to flail around and went in circles. His power dwindled and started to backfire on him. The downside of keeping your power sealed for too long, it'd slap you the moment you least like.

" Damn…I should've done my maintenance before the fight…"

He fell to the ground like some worn-out rag, and hit the stone floor with a loud 'thud'. Being a certified opportunist AND a prick, Riser didn't waste this chance sitting by. He disabled his wings and landed right on him, getting an unwilling gasp. By this time, Kaito's consciousness was already sunk deep into his soul.

[You've come…]

He landed on a dark room. He couldn't see anything, mostly because there was no light there. But, after walking for a while, his eyes slowly adapted and he was able to see for a bit what the room was like. The room itself was like a forgotten dungeon, lit by several dim torches. The flames itself wasn't orange, but grey, adding even more eerie feels to the room. Even then, his dragon eyes could barely see there. But, from the looks of it, there were 5 shadows inside the room, each in different locations.

As he walked forward, the blurry images became clearer and clearer, to the point he could see their body, but how he wished he didn't. One was pounding the wall until his knuckles were skinned, showing bones underneath. Another one was sitting on the corner, hugging his knees while shivering desperately. Also, there was someone leaning to a wall, eyes devoid of all hopes with blood as tears. Another was sitting on a chair, wailing as he was incinerated in black and crimson flames, and the final one was a skeletal figure lying on the floor.

However, there was a single thing they all possessed.

They all looked perfectly like him.

" AAHHHH!"

The shock was transferred to his mind, then his physical body. His real body was rolling around in agony, dodging Riser's attacks with pure luck.

[Calm down…we don't want to roast you, hurt you, or do anything shady to you]

Coming from a skeleton, that was unconvincing. But, he had no choice but to trust skele-to for now.

The others also set eyes on him. It was a weird feeling, like you looked at yourself at several mirror reflections, but the reflections could move freely. And moreover, they were all like him, not wanting to begin a talk unless forced.

[I heard you were facing that kid up there]

He turned, only to see the burned-up version of him facing his way. His expression was kind of vague, considering his face was ebony black, but anger was still apparent on his raspy voice. His flames burned hot, hotter than a phenex's flame.

All his look-alikes surrounded him in a pentagram formation, with him as its center. A magic circle formed under their feet, blazing hot with magma-like substance. The liquid glowed eerily, giving a little light to that helplessly dark room.

[I see you're doing well, except for the lack of maintenance, your soul's like a broken glass right now. You're lucky we managed to pull you down here before it shatters completely,]

The skeleton version of him was a little more lively than the others, although he exuded most dreadful aura of them all. Perhaps due to being dead, he lost the humility, since living people's insults wouldn't affect him in the slightest. His skeletal figure proved to be flexible, mostly because he'd been making various expressions, like amusement, for example. You _had_ to look to a grinning skeleton, really, it'd change your life. Wasting no more of their time, the glow brightened and changed to a sickly green color and circled him, of all people. The burning guy smirked insanely at him.

[Oi, we might be apparitions, bit y'know, I'm mad at that crisp kid over there, so after you get out with all the powers we _temporarily_ unlock, mind giving that guy a nice blow on the head? Show him who's boss and all.]

The skeleton sighed.

[We'll unleash a little more of your power to stabilize your soul and act as a little power-up. Try not to use it too much, or you'll end up killing that bird out there. He's an arrogant prick, but still a great noble, with the whole Underworld backing him. Just slap some sense about Hunters to him, and it's all good.]

The space around him started to warp and turn white.

[Lash out, kiddo. Say hello to him for us, okay?]

The last thing he saw was the mad smile the burned guy, before everything went black. He was back in his body, with some weird ticklish sensation on his back. He opened his eyes, only to see Riser's grin which should've made him get taken to the nearest asylum while throwing fireballs at his supposedly motionless body.

" I hear you're the so-called hunter? The ones who're shaping the history of the super-naturals from the shadows single-handedly, the so-called Legend Creators…It's a good thing I spied on Rias's training. BUT, IN THE END, HUNTERS ARE NOTHING! NOTHING COMPARED TO RISER!"

He couldn't help but silently laugh at the bird's stupidity.

" _This kind of flames is only good for cooking, not burning. Yet, he's still trying to do me in with this. #majorLOL."_

In the end, he couldn't hold in his laugh, and rolled on the floor while laughing like there's no tomorrow. Riser looked at him, dumbfounded, and most of all surprised. After all kinds of attacks he launched at him, here he was, laughing his ass off without a care to this world, completely unharmed! For someone who was revered as one of the top achievers in the Underworld, this…insect had the gall to withstand his powers and on top of that, laughing it off like it was some kind of sick joke?!

After he was finally done with all the laughing, he stood up holding his stomach. Perhaps the warning about severe stomach pains due to over laugh was true. Well, with that out of the way, he was finally able to serve a major ass-kicking the tenants in his body reserved especially just for him.

" Alright, playtime's over, Riser-crisp. I'm gonna turn you into a pile of mush, whether you're immortal or not!"

With that shocking declaration, black mist started to surround him, from head to toe. The ground melted under the immense heat he exuded and the mist itself was the very manifestation of his spirit flames as well. Just by getting touched by those mist, the marbles melted to a pile of goo without resistance.

He dashed forward, disappearing and reappearing right in front of him, fist pulled. Riser didn't even have time to brace for the impact, and was sent flying like an old rag to a pawn piece in the corner. He skidded down from the stone statue to the floor while writhing in pain, his body burning in some places. His punch didn't pierce through him like earlier, but it demolished his internal organs, so he took a lot more time to heal AND was far more painful than before.

" Feeling better, Phenex? I didn't punch you all the way to the back, you know?"

Riser wasn't in good enough condition to respond. His stomach was still gurgling all over, and he puked blobs of blood now and then. He held his burning stomach and tried standing up by using the statue as support. Kaito sighed and brought out two vials.

" _His regeneration trait is troublesome…Guess it's time to use it again, huh?"_

He crushed both of them in his hands, drenching them in transparent liquid. But, because of the immense heat, it evaporated before it could drop to the ground. He raised his hands, coated in black and white mist. The devils looking showed immediate respond, jerking away from their seat.

The mortal enemy of devils, holy water.

Riser looked at him with scared eyes. As a noble, he'd known of that accursed item, and the damage it caused to devils. One drop could burn off a devil's skin, and a vial could cause unavoidable death to middle-class unholy beings. Yet, he was holding that in form of a transparent mist circling his hands.

" How dirty…Using such items to fight me…"

Kaito scoffed at the desperate comment Riser made against him. He grabbed his collar, smashed him to the ground, lifted him again, then slammed him again like a worn out rag.

" Don't get me wrong. A weak punch imbued with holy water is far better than a hard punch from me right now."

Honestly, he was getting quite tired of this. Riser was a self-healing punching bag, sure, but all he was actually good for was his healing traits, nothing more.

He didn't want to hold back.

He summoned a magic circle connecting to his personal armory, and pulled out a grey bastard sword with hoof-shaped guard. He spun the sword and stabbed it to the ground. Riser was already healed, albeit without half of his torso. His pain tolerance was at its limit, and suddenly, something fell off his clothes.

" What's this?"

Kaito picked up the item that rolled to his feet. A small red crystal vial he saw in the rating game between Rias and Riser before. In short, phoenix tears. Even the crowd watching had similar reactions. He felt that, too. Doubts, insults, disappointment, and even shame, all directed to the fallen noble.

" Ouch…That gotta hurt."

Riser was humiliated right in front of the spectators, his parents and relatives included. Gritting his teeth, Kaito took out his sword off the ground and swung it in a wide arc, engulfing both Riser and the board. In an instant, all the scenery in that dimension was cut in half, along with everything that made this world.

" You see, Riser…you insulted my pride as a hunter, and my guys aren't too happy with that news."

He brandished the sword, although it had a wide crack due to excessive power Kaito forced it to bear. He landed right beside Riser's bisected body and said:

" I've always wanted to know. If a Phenex's regeneration traits are so powerful, can they come back from a crumbling dimension? Would they still be able to reform after being separated beyond normal to dimension cracks? Lucky me, I get to test this theory."

He smirked.

" And you, yakitori, are my guinea pig."

He let out a creepy cackle and wanted to watch until the guy disintegrated to nothing within the abyss of Dimensional Gap, but alas, to no avail.

" STOP!"

Riser's bishop, the blonde drill, flew to them and spread her arms, as if protecting her fallen brother.

" Please, don't you have enough already?"

" This guy sexually harassed my client, verbally abused her, made you his piece, and basically beat the hell out of one of my very few friends. You still want to have a good for nothing like him as your brother?"

Ravel Phenex bit her lip until it bled, noticing the bad deeds her brother did for fun. She couldn't defend her brother at all, because he wasn't really worth saving.

" As much as a bastard he is, he's still my brother!"

Kaito smiled and put his hand on the girl's head. He patted her a few times and turned back.

" Lucky you, Riser, having a good sister like her. I'm envious."

Rias entered the fray and got them out of the crumbling dimension, while Ravel brought Riser out safely.

" I can't believe the griffon I prepared would be used as an escort instead of an escape mean. Youngsters these days are amusing, right, Grayfia?"

" Right…But, for someone to actually surpass the immortal phenex's regeneration, and we don't know about him…"

Sir Zechs looked his wife and smiled.

" Relax. I trust my sister's savior. That's all there is to it."

Meanwhile…

" Looks like you managed to get saved, huh?"

Rias looked up at her savior, who placed her in front of him while riding the griffin. Her crimson hair hid her beet red cheeks, but her rise of temperature didn't go unnoticed. Kaito put his palm on her forehead and touched his own.

" Hmm…Buchou, you okay? Seems like you have a fever."

" I-I'm okay, alright. Focus on flying."

He obliged, because if the griffin decided to wiggle here and there, they'd plummet to their deaths like a pair of crazy bungee jumper, without a rope. As he turned back, he felt her leaning her whole body to his back, arms slipping to his waist. The sudden pressure slowly seeping to his back surprised him.

" Buchou?"

" Shhh…Call me Rias once in a while."

His eyebrows twitched, and he turned back, not wanting to let the crimson princess see his tomato-styled face.

" R-Rias…What's the matter?"

She let out a satisfied sigh, and seemed to deflate silently. But, the weight was still the same. It just felt that way. Her tension, stress, and tiredness were all blown away from her mind and body. He faced her, and saw that for the first time, she was so relaxed, like all her worry flew out of the window.

" Nothing...It's just…for the first time in my life, I feel so…free. I'm not chained by my family's honor and duty right now. And…all thanks to you."

Kaito let out a hearty laugh as the griffin flew through the boundary of Underworld.

" It's fine. If you need another flight to free you of all this stress, I'll gladly do so no matter how many times. Princesses get stressed easily, after all."

" Hey, look at me."

" Hmm?"

Her lips collided with his as soon as he turned to her. It was a smooth kiss, not forced one, like she'd always dreamed of. After a few long minutes, she pulled back and noticed that Kaito had already lost all colors from his face, and started getting wobbly.

He fell of the griffin.

Out of reflex, she took over the control and swooped down, trying to catch Kaito before he reached the ground and this fic turned to a horror. With difficulty, she hauled his body back to the griffin's back, and let him sleep peacefully on her lap until they reached Kuoh.

" I can only relax with you around, it seems."

The griffin drifted off to the endless night Kuoh had in offer.

 **Tadaa~ It's the rewrite of chapter 7! Hope you'll enjoy it better than the previous one. As I always say, please review, it helps me get better in this.**


	8. Omake : The Cursed Watch

**Okay, guys. Since the first season in canon is done, I'll be making some omake. It's like, Kaito's personal story, how hunter works, etc.**

* * *

[…] spirits talking

{…} dragons talking

Several nights before, Kaito had freed Rias from some evil roasted chicken with supe arrogant personality, nearly severing the dimension along with him and bringing out some of his inherent power. He looked at Razor, and sighed.

" It's going to take some time to repair this"

A massive crack along its blade was visible, like a few more swings could snap it like a twig. His blacksmith spirit friend also examined the blade, flicking it with his finger a few times, and checking it very thoroughly. He stood highly in front of him.

" Hey, Kaito. I know this is just a piece of scrap you put together, but it's at least a bit more durable than your normal blades, you know? This-shouldn't-get a-crack-so-easily!" He scolded him, emphasizing it so directly.

" Yeah, yeah. I'll admit I was kinda overboard, but it's the only custom sword I have right now, so will you please?"

" Hhh~ Even so, your power right now shouldn't be able to put a crack on it, or cut down a dimension room. What happened?" He pulled out his hammer.

" I got some help. Looks like 'they' don't like getting insulted"

Raynare came in from the window. She landed smoothly on the floor, and Kuroka came out from his wardrobe.

" Looks like you can fly better now, Raynare"

" I guess" She smiled at her wings. Lately, she had been perfecting her aerial combat skills, mostly because she had so much free time and since Dohnaseek's incident, she didn't want to trouble him so much in the future.

" Okay, I'll leave it to you" Kaito pulled his pillow and wanted to sleep, until his pillow was pulled, and by extension, his head.

" What?" He rubbed his head.

" Kaito-kun, I have this feeling that you were playing around with somebody…" Raynare pulled his face close with an evil glint on her eyes. Kuroka was also giggling with a terrifying oni face behind her.

" Aren't you…a bit late for that?" He tried to pry away, but Raynare's face adored this smile only Akeno could pull off. That sadistic, evil onee-san smile. He flinched and suddenly, Raynare's fist was encased with holy energy.

" Hey, what are you doing, Raynare? NOO!"

That night, Kurayama Kaito nearly died. Reason: a sadistic and angry fallen, plus a very angry catwoman pouncing on him.

* * *

Kaito was ready to go to school. After that night, he felt somewhat feverish. But honestly, with a girl as beautiful as Rias kissing you so suddenly, who wouldn't?

" _And those two…I'm lucky to be alive"_

He picked up his bag and went out. Luckily, he managed to explain and make both Kuroka and Raynare to calm down. But they were pretty moody, though.

" Man, another day, another thing" He sighed.

He arrived at school and slipped past the students easily, considering he was so elusive. The only guy to notice him was Issei, and that was because he pulled him away and let the M&Ms get a hell of a beating in the morning. He wanted to sleep for a while, until he heard Murayama talking about something.

" The 7 legends of Kuoh? Which one?" She curiously asked.

" It's the cursed watch"

" Eh?"

" Long ago, a student was killed in the old school building. He wore a black watch on his wrist. It's said, the watch came back, haunting the school that had killed its master. Every year, some guys try to get it as a dare, none has ever come back" She shivered, along with the storyteller as well.

" A senpai told me that the watch came from hell to avenge its master, and it can possess you if you're too close…" Katase was also shivering.

" _Interesting"_ He smirked, and glanced at Issei, wondering how the devils would take this growing rumor on

" Scary, scary, scary…" Issei chanted, shivering from head to toe. He was also covered with sweat, despite the class had AC.

" _Okay, not too well"_ He laughed inwardly.

He couldn't laugh too long, though, since sensei came in and totally disrupted his fun. He silently booed and took out his books. After getting tortured with many, many hours of seemingly endless lectures, he finally got out of the class and went home.

Meanwhile…

Rias was sitting on her usual chair with her glasses on. ORC's power of not coming to class was really great. She couldn't do it too much or Sona would get mad, though. Nonetheless, it was the perfect human school life she had always wanted. She put down her book.

" Ne, Issei. Is Kaito not used to girls?" She asked

" Hm? Well, I wouldn't say that, but he doesn't really fond of them" He chewed his soba bread casually, with Akeno serving a cup of tea.

" Thank you, Akeno-san"

" No problem, Issei-kun" She smiled and went away.

" What happened, Issei-kun? About Kaito's not very fond of woman" Rias pressed

" Um…I think it's better to ask him yourself, buchou. I can't really tell you" He laughed nervously.

" What is he like, then? His daily routines and things?" She continued

" Um…come to think about it, no one really knows him that well."

" Eh? What are you talking about?" She flinched

" Actually, when I said I was his friend, I mean I'm the one closest to him. I'm close to him alright, because no one is that close to him to begin with. In class, he usually disappears without a warning, and comes back like a shadow. He doesn't stand out much, really." Issei explained

" Oh" Was her only response.

" Honestly, I was so surprised to see him becoming someone so powerful right under my nose. I guess that proves he doesn't think of me much, huh? I'm pathetic" He gritted his teeth

" Well, you do say he's pretty close to you, so that's okay" Akeno replied

Rias was deep in her thoughts. The one who saved her was a really elusive, unnoticeable, and normal guy? He didn't seem to be someone like that. He was more like a cool anti-social guy with very unique personality.

" _No, I guess how he carries himself so normally is one of his traits. If anyone has certain ability, then his should be 'being normal'! But that's weird. He was like a totally different guy that night"_ She scratched her chin

" Buchou! There's an incident!" Kiba called from outside.

They rushed with Kiba to the old school's hall. Sona and the Student Council were already there and investigating inside. Sona looked at Rias and flashed a serious expression. She stepped aside, revealing a dry corpse of a janitor, complete with a broom.

" Dear Maou…What happened?" She cupped her mouth.

" I don't know. Saji was doing daily inspection here and then, he suddenly came to me with the news. I just got here as well."

" Do you think this is a devil's work?"

" Questionable. I don't detect any traces of magic all around here. And actually, how he died intrigues me. No blood, no wounds, nothing. It's like he got heart attack. I don't think there's any magic capable of that" She analyzed.

" True. But, who?"

" That's the question, and we must find out"

" Kaichou, don't you think there's some connection to this rumor lately? Seven legends of Kuoh, I mean" Kiba interrupted.

" Hm? Well, let's see…" She examined and raised the corpse's hand skillfully. She revealed a regal and old-fashioned watch, with golden trims on its chain. She took it away from his limp wrist, and examined it. Then, she gave it to Rias who also looked at it for quite a while, until she raised her eyebrows.

" _This is…I've felt this kind of power. Cold, elusive, and cruel. But, what?"_ She put her hand under chin.

" Rias?"

" No, it's nothing" She waved at Sona, dismissing her thoughts.

* * *

*YAWWNN~*

" Well, guess I stayed up too late, huh?" Kaito spun around on his workchair.

{ For sure. You went through 3 games and finished them all. Look, even Snow sends out that emoticon} Zecrow commented

" Yeah, since you made my dreams a fantasized hell, I don't really like sleeping now"

{But you gotta admit. That was the fastest and the most effective way to train your body, mind, and soul altogether}

" You did make me pretty tough. So yeah, I can't really complain" He sighed and turned off his computer. He jumped to the bed, not seeing it first.

" NYAA!" A loud catlike cry echoed in the room. Kuroka morphed to her humanoid form while rubbing her chest.

" My, Kaito. I didn't expect you to express it like this…well, I don't hate it, but…" She murmured.

" _My God, what did I do? And why the heck Kuroka hid under my pillow?!"_ He got frustrated over it, and apologized frantically.

" This pillow…it reeks of your smell. I can't get enough~" She suddenly fell down hugging his pillow and started spinning around on his bed.

{ Just to be sure, you didn't charm her, right?}

" _Of course not! I don't want to win a girl with such lowly trick!"_ He blushed profusely and looked away from her.

" And I don't have anything that would give me a girl like her" He slumped back to his chair, letting Kuroka play around his pillow for a little longer. In the meantime, he started to stare at the ceiling with hollow eyes, like his very being was drained out by the ceiling itself. Raynare came in a few minutes later, and saw how he looked at the ceiling with those eyes. Kuroka herself had seemed to notice his expression, and they both agreed to call Snow.

The next day…

He walked in the very empty hallway. He had come due to Rias' request, but on a holiday, seriously? He noticed some straps placed on the old school building, and they were charged with devil magic.

" What in the world…" He muttered and ran to the ORC room.

Suddenly, Issei came running in front of him, followed with Kiba and Koneko. He sweat-dropped and glanced at where they were running.

" Ouch!"

Rias body-slammed him, toppling both of them. She panted hard and looked at him with relieved expression.

" What happened?"

" The watch…It had curse on it. Its energy signature is similar to you"

" Really? Guess I'll be checking it, then" He helped her stand and walked to the dark corridor over there. He was suddenly enveloped in darkness with nowhere to go. Instead of shivering, he chuckled like a madman, giving Rias a very scary chill on her neck.

"You think trapping me in blackout would be enough? Seems like you're so full of yourself" He grinned to the darkness around him. It flinched, realizing that what it did wasn't nearly enough to scare this boy to his grave.

[Foolish human…]

A grotesque form of disembodied man-sized clock appeared behind him, with a rapier sticking from it. It started to laugh like clanking gears, and honestly, it was very creepy. Kaito, however, sighed and slashed in lightning speed. It jumped away in shock, and looked at its body. A huge slash mark was etched nicely on it.

" So, still want to fight? If you do…" His smile became even more maniacal than before, like a beast ready to devour its prey. It backed away, trying to survive from even darker shade which Kaito emanated fiercely from his body.

"Get ready" He cracked his knuckles.

He dashed even faster than eyes could see, disappearing and reappearing anywhere around the area. This was spirits' fight. So, its rules must be followed to the end, and one of it was kill your opponent before they could notice, and make sure they suffer. He walked like a phantom, circling the spirit and pulled out a sword, his eyes glowing red.

[Y-YOU, I'VE HEARD OF YOU!] It screamed in horror.

Kaito smiled in amusement and suddenly, he hacked it once, deepening the crack he had done before. The spirit dwindled in confusion and fear, shaking to the core. It actually looked a shivering oversized clock now, with some weird accents, of course.

" And what about it?"

His katana jutted out from its center, effectively putting it to near death. As he felt its power fading, it uttered its last words.

[Phan...tom Blade]

It fell to the ground, and didn't move anymore. Kaito watched as it faded to nothingness, leaving nothing but a watch. He took it and looked at its every nook and cranny. Then, it made a clank sound and extended to a black rapier with regal hilt and crooked arm-guard. He twisted it, tried to bend it, and even touched its edge carefully. He smiled and with a click, it went back to a normal watch. He strapped it on his wrist, and went out with satisfied expression plastered on his face.

" Nice weapon. I can use it while Razor gets repaired" He muttered to himself.

Rias blasted the black fog covering the whole hallway with magic and saw Kaito walking with a new exotic watch on his wrist. He had this satisfied grin on his face. She looked back and forth, trying to find the clock monster that trashed her whole peerage in no time before. He looked at her and waved.

" Did you get rid of it? And what's that watch?" She pointed at his new accessory. He took it off and gave it to her. She messed with it a little bit, until Kaito snatched it away, right before it shot out its blade.

" Oh Maou, what's with you and your weapons?" She tried to ease her breathing while laying helplessly on the floor with her back resting to the wall.

" My bad. It was that spirit's spoil. Seems like it's some kind of antique object that gained soul on its own. I wonder how old it is" He examined the watch.

" Spoil?"

" I'll explain later. Right now, we have an even bigger problem. Look" He walked to the window and thrust his hand to the sky.

" THE HECK?!" Rias screamed in shock. The sky was already abnormally dark, but something was terribly wrong. As a devil, she had eyes that see better in the dark, especially night. But, that ability didn't tap in, and for once, she felt like a human, scared of the devouring darkness. Screams of terror wailed through the building, making Rias feel some kind of violent electricity running through her body.

" Because as of now….welcome to my world, Rias Gremory" He morphed to an even more grotesque form than the watch she fought before.

[ Now scream, and feed my soul!] It screeched with wild loud sounds from its body. It looked like the boosted version of the clock monster from before. Actually, it looked rather cute compared to this guy. She ran away from that abomination and managed to lock herself in the ORC room. Partly because she knew throwing around her power of destruction would be very pointless, and another part was the fact that it looked very horrible, you wouldn't want to look at it. But, the horrible meant what would happen if you looked at it. She could get sucked to its antiqueness and find herself chewed to death without any fight.

" What's with that ….I don't know what would suit it." She sighed.

[Found you~~] The clock suddenly below her feet, and grabbed her hair with its mechanical hand. She wreathed in pain and was screaming around until she instinctively blasted it with a sphere of magic.

[No effect~] It cooed.

" But this will" A voice called out from the door, and a katana stabbed itself to its horrendous head-body. It rolled on the floor, trying to chuck the sword away.

" Spirit fun fact: Nothing except spirit magic can harm them." Kaito leaped in from the window there. Rias had never been more relieved to see him coming, but she frowned a second later. She saw a gorgeous girl with white hair jumped in too, after all.

" I didn't expect my visit to become a hunt, though…" She winked and created a black portal beneath the monster, wanting to let it sink to God knows where.

[NOT SO FAST!] The place suddenly became distorted and everything became slower. It released itself from the hole and was ready to give a clock-sized slap to Kaito. The latter, however, smirked and punched a hole inside its body.

" Your rules don't work on me, Mr. Clock" He kicked it to the corner, disarming its ability and breaking its arms. The world became normally paced again, and Hana looked at him in awe. Of course, he just broke the rules of that world on his own, and clocked that oversized clock to its proper place.

" Now…"

Hundreds of swords swarmed all around them, surrounding the clock monster. It started to sweat gears and when Kaito was about to give his special sharp edition rain, it slowed down time yet again. But, its way out had already been cut off completely, leaving no spot to hide or run.

" Disappear"

He finished it off in cold blood, even Rias and Hana shivered at the sight. He walked to its remains and pulled out the same watch she had seen before. Kaito wore it and the world dissolved. Kuoh was back to normal, as normal as it could. Her devil abilities came back and she looked at both Hunters.

" What was that?" She asked

" A rogue spirit. It devours the soul of its victims, rendering them in to coma, and in many cases, death. I killed it and this is its remain" He showed off his new watch.

" Can it turn to a rapier?"

" Hm, yeah. How'd you know?"

" Instincts"

" Okay" They went on their way.

* * *

 **Oops, the ending was a major hanger, wasn't it? Well, I'm starting my original arc now, looking forward to it! By the way, please leave some review.**


	9. The Stray Holy Sword

**This is a new arc, original. It's going to be a bit long, and it's not canon.**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine, that's for sure.**

* * *

Kaito was relaxing in his room. With his arms as pillow and his feet relaxing, he looked like a delinquent with not-so-menacing face. Kuroka was lying on the floor like a cat, while Raynare was playing his PC.

" Kaito, there's a mail…" She called

" Yeah, okay" He sloppily stood up

He looked at the monitor, and saw Snow had sent e-mail straight to his computer. He clicked it open and saw its contents.

" Oh, there you read it" She popped up on his bed, her feet nearly stepping on the sleeping nekomata. She had a solemn look on her face.

" What's this? Someone got possessed and you want me to help exterminating the spirit? What's the big deal? You're more than strong enough to handle it." He shrugged and spun on his work chair. She sighed and closed her eyes, she pointed at the email again, prompting him to read further.

" An exorcist got possessed? Now that's news" He turned to her.

" As embarrassing as it is, I'm not strong enough to subdue him alone. Besides, having fellow hunter to assist me should be good"

He stood up and smiled at her. Taking his gesture as an okay, she walked up and punched his chest lightly.

" I'm picking you next week, okay?" Then left.

A week passed in no time. He was already wearing a grey jacket with pale blue T-shirt inside, plus a pair of jeans. It was like he wanted to go to mall, instead of life and death hunt. Raynare and Kuroka really wanted to go, but he told them to stay at home. A hunter's business must be resolved by a hunter. Of course, they ended up pouting big time, giving Kaito a whole new level of headache after years.

" You ready?" Hana appeared from a portal with her usual attire on, plus a crude sword made of ice hanging by her side. He stretched and walked to the portal with her. She smelled like fresh berries, not that he cared, or that it felt somehow familiar with him.

They appeared on a wasteland with only shattered rocks and destroyed plateaus everywhere. No one was there, no. there was no living being there. The foul smell of blood and rotten corpses filled the air. They both unsheathed their respective weapons and walked carefully along the way. Quite some distance from there, a village could be seen. It was no different. All that's left was ruins and dead bodies skittered on the ground.

" God's sake…Who did this?" Hana's eyes gleamed with anger. As a huntress, she'd seen many deaths, but this was too much. The victims were mutilated brutally, it was like a gore scene of a yandere game, with far larger number. Kaito noticed her anger and patted her shoulder.

" Don't look. Pay your respects to them"

" Yeah, thanks" She gritted her teeth, wordlessly vowing to cut open the one who did this and shove him or her to hell personally.

[Kill…destroy….everything…]

A hollow voice rang out from one of the houses. From it, a man in priest robes came out with blood trickling from his clothes. He was holding to a European double-edged sword with ominous design unfit for a sword owned by the church. The sword's blade was silver and the pole was leather with a blue gem on its golden guard, shaped nicely by an evil blacksmith, since the sword looked scary.

" That must be the priest, and wow, he's totally possessed" Kaito commented.

" I'm sending him to hell" Hana used her spatial magic to teleport to his position quickly and swung her ice sword, hoping for a clean decapitation. Kaito whistled at her skills and summoned two katanas to his hands. However, that priest blocked her attack with the sword and her sword immediately shattered, moving to her neck

" That was close…"

Kaito parried the sword, letting the blunt side of his sword gently touch her smooth skin. She grabbed his wrist and teleported them a few meters from that psycho. She threw away her sword hilt, and Kaito gave her a katana.

" My turn, back me up" His eyes gleamed

[SPIRIT DRIVE]

Pale white aura surrounded his body like a layer of jelly, and expanded even more. His eyes grew fiercer and it encased his swords, increasing their range. He pulled back and in a flash, jumped to him with immense speed. As if he had eyes all across his skin, he slashed wildly at Kaito, fully expecting him to be there, their swords clashed loudly. It didn't stop there. Kaito continued to attack, but the priest was crazy. He wasn't depending on reflex, it's like he had eyes everywhere, and all of them were capable of sending info in a flash to his brain. He felt prying eyes whenever he swung and parried the enemy's sword. Then, he jumped back, throwing his blades and one of them pierced his left shoulder.

" That guy…he's possessed by many spirits! And that sword ain't no joke…its aura and sharpness, plus that wild and destructive aura around it, at the very least, it's 2 times stronger than my normal custom sword."

" That said from the sword specialist like you…scary" She shivered.

" Well, I've gone through worse. So, the plan's same. I'm going to take that sword, hopefully without his arm. Stop his feet!"

" Roger!" She blew a torrent of cold wind to the priest's feet, trapping them in ice. Kaito leaped from above and sent out a flurry of deadly slashes directed to the sword. He parried it all in a rush, and the sword made a cut on his cheek. Instantly, his blood boiled in anger and murderous intent, and all his being screamed 'KILL!' loudly to his head. His eyes turned to slits as he kept himself from hacking that priest to bits and pieces. But because of that, he missed a swing from the priest.

" NO!" Hana teleported to him and moved away from there with spatial magic. They settled in a wrecked hut. Kaito's breath was ragged and unsteady, with Hana keeping his position well. She gently rubbed his back and pulled him close.

" It's okay, rest easy." She whispered. His breath slowed down and finally settled. He regained his position and sat comfortably. He mumbled 'thanks' to Hana and dematerialized his blades. Fragments of his past rained down. It felt like yesterday, when he had gone on a bloody rampage on his enemies in the past, how he was known as the 'Phantom Reaper', the ultimate hunter who had stained his hands in blood of countless spirits, only to quell his anger and thirst for revenge he couldn't realize in the physical world. Blood served as cooler to his broken heart, to take his mind off his suffering he had endured since childhood. How he was alone, abused, and rejected to the point of insanity, how he lost his purpose of life, how he became so unnoticeable and elusive, and how he must lie to himself, only to keep on living as a hollow doll, fed by lies and false hopes.

" You don't want to kill him" She concluded.

" Yes. But not for him. If I killed him, the switch inside me would be turned, damaging my mental even further. Call me selfish, but…" He slumped

" Okay" She nodded. She had known how much he had endured in his daily lives, how anxiety and broken hopes crushed him like an insect, and the fact that he had a special ability to feel all emotion nearby didn't make it any better. She didn't expect normal, daily life without tragic incidents could be so painful. Dull pity would only make him scowl, so she couldn't offer much that time, but surely, she'd heal the scars within his heart, someday. But right now, they had a prey, and hunter must never let his prey get away.

" Can you fight?" She asked

" Yeah"

" Then, let's go" She stood up

" Gladly" He shot up and grabbed her hand, as the hut exploded in golden flash. They reappeared on the roof of the next house, looking at the psycho who had destroyed the building with a wave of holy energy.

" Wielder of The Holy Knight Sword, Arondight. I hereby deem you guilty. Clench your teeth and accept your punishment like a man!" Kaito bellowed

" The heck are you saying?" She deadpanned, but when she looked at the priest, the sword itself shook like crazy, as if torn from wanting to obey Kaito's command, or slice him to pieces.

" What?"

" Spirits of old, as thou king persists, leave the vessel and break through the boundary, and cease from this world. Thou are not welcome." His voice consisted authority and power, it even made Hana's neck to tingle a bit. And she's clearly not a spirit.

The man also shook violently and closed his ears from his demands. The sword made clanking sounds and the man started to smoke all over his body. Hana froze the vapor in ice with one blow, and Kaito walked to him.

" Disappear"

He coldly commanded as he created a katana in his hand and sliced the man. A terrifying shriek echoed through the area, shaking anything alive to the core. The man's face turned hollow and Kaito grabbed a massive pale blue smoke coming from him. Kaito scowled and violently tightened his grip, effectively destroying them. Suddenly, a signal flare lit up to the sky from the priest's fallen robe.

" What's that?" Hana looked at the sky. Kaito himself took the sword off his dead body and examined it. He spun it several times and sighed.

" This guy's so wild! It's like trying to grab a bull by its tail." He sighed and swung it carelessly to a house. A pale holy wave came out from the tip of the blade and annihilated three blocks in front of him instantly. They both looked in awe and Kaito whistled.

" Nice sword"

{Agreed} Zecrow butted in.

{ This sword is Arondight, one of the swords let from the legacy of Britain from King Arthur's era. Careful, partner. That sword is extremely wild and definitely not tame at all. Can you subdue it?}

" Already done" He looked at the sword which was releasing a soft hum of energy from it.

"YOU TAMED IT, ALREADY?!" Hana exclaimed

" Well, yeah. I AM good with swords for a reason"

" A legendary sword, nearly untamable and you casually tamed it? Wow" She looked at the sword and tried to touch it, until it flared out its holy aura that nearly sliced her finger.

" Hmh…If only I had my full power…" He mumbled.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by hundreds of people in white robes and light swords on their hands. One of them, a man in his 20s stepped forward. On his chest, there was a cross symbol and he had a solid sword, not energy swords like others. He also had a golden cross etched on the back of his robe, indicating his high position as an exorcist. They all pointed their swords at Kaito, who silently put down Arondight.

" In count of three, we'll run. We can't afford to make complicated spells here with this kind of tension. Tell me when you're ready" He silently whispered.

" Already done. I wondered when you'd say that" She smirked evilly.

" One…" Their bodies tensed

" THREE!" Kaito pushed Hana to the portal quickly and ducked to take Arondight. As expected, the priests immediately threw a flurry of knives with holy power on them. Kaito rose up and deflected all the knives in a single circular slash.

" No!" Hana tried to grab him, but she disappeared before she could do anything. Kaito turned to the stunned onlookers. He put Arondight on his shoulder and smirked.

" Now, you want to say something?"

They were completely stunned until the priest with golden cross stepped in front of him. He towered tall compared to him, and looked ready to slice him in two pieces. Kaito simply looked at him with his eyes filled with bloodlust, and he backed away quickly.

" T-Take him!"

About 10 or 20 priests grabbed his shoulder, albeit with shaking knees. What in earth could possibly make their feared leader almost pee himself? And they were ordered to apprehend the guy who did that with only a glance. They might as well flee right now. But they were confident with the numbers they brought. 100 against 1, he didn't stand a chance.

" What did I do?" He asked innocently at the head priest. Although a bit late, he MUST voice his opinion then and there, if he wanted to turn everything against them later. The head priest glanced at him.

" You killed the past possessor of Arondight, an enormous sin for a human of God like you. You must be punished" He tried to speak coldly, but because Kaito's eyes were fixed to him, it was a little more than a whimper.

" You know I was doing self defense" He retorted

" Killing the children of God is a big mistake, I believe the knight wouldn't have done something insane like killing civilians like you"

Kaito followed along for a while. With a mere speck of his power, he couldn't afford to battle hundreds of priests and their big shots without going through a killing frenzy, like he did a couple of times before. He just let them drag him to somewhere in this world.

* * *

He woke up inside a cold cell, his hands cuffed with strange white substance and the prison itself was imbued with holy power comparable to that of middle-class angels. He moved his hands a bit.

" They're really underestimating me. Even if I'm at my lowest, I'm still as powerful as a high class devil. Heh." He accumulated energy to snap that wretched cuffs off, but was thrown off course with a guard calling him.

" Come. It's time for your trial"

He smirked and looked at the sword he had hidden behind his back which he tossed to his personal armory back then. Kaito smirked in amusement and stood.

" Lead the way"

The judgment hall was really spacious and filled with things filled with holy energy. So much, that the room actually smelled holy from outside. Well, Kaito's part dragon, so that's a factor too. Inside, the judge and the prosecutor were ready. He was wondering, why the heck they brought him here, instead of killing him? Or that they were so stupid that they didn't know that there was something very wrong with the previous Arondight wielder?

" We will now begin the trial concerning the death of Arondight wielder. The accused. Come forward." The judge slammed his small hammer.

* * *

 **Yup, and that's about it in this chapter. Rate and review will be appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	10. For What is Good

**Highschool DxD is not mine**

* * *

Kaito was sitting inside a judgment hall with many humans in black robes staring at him intently. His hands were cuffed with holy seals. They all stared smugly at him, as if whatever their demand, he wouldn't be able to fight their will without his hands. Well, he could always snap that wretched cuff off and slice their pitiful hopes off their heads, literally. After the bald judge slammed his hammer to start the trial, the room's holy energy became even heavier. The cuffs were also bathed in white glow.

" Defender, state your name" He commanded

" Nakashima…Saito" He said with perfect poker face. The judge was a bit taken aback with his expressionless face. Usually, when the sinners felt the amount of holy energy covering the whole room, they would cower in front of them, then turning them to loyal followers for Church would be an easy task.

He quickly regained his pace and put on the strictest face he could manage. The whole room was filled with the branch church's council members, all ready to follow his commands as the great priest.

" Prosecutor, set your accusations"

A middle aged guy with filled belly stood, his fat swaying like blob. He picked up his papers and read them out loud.

" Nakashima Kaito, as was stated before. You are guilty of killing a devoted servant of God, and a massacre on the village downhill. And worse, you had killed one of our bravest warriors. An apostle of God, he who bears the power to vanquish evil of this world"

" _Oh, man"_ Kaito deadpanned.

" Defender, what will your words be?" The judge stared at him again.

Kaito placed some powers in his throat and he started speaking like a politician with high level of charisma.

" If that guy were indeed the great warrior of church, meaning he held great power and blessed by God, why would you think someone like me could kill him? As you can see…" He raised his cuffed hands.

" I couldn't massacre so many humans, even with weapons. Even more so with this great warrior of yours"

Chatters started to swell up the whole room. Many doubted the judge's accusations. Well, him looking like a teenage boy DID help. And lucky for him, his build was hidden beneath his clothes. Ever since Zecrow found out that his host was him, he'd used every means to train his body to a whole new level, including his dreams.

" However, I am actually offended that you accused me of killing a mass of people so brutally. I ask you, do I look inhuman to all of you?" He tried his best to sound hurt. And voila! The chatter became even louder.

" SILENCE!" The judge bellowed while slamming his hammer many times. All done. Now, they couldn't kill him directly. At least he wouldn't have to slay them in self-defense. The worse they could do was milk him for all his worth, brainwash him, and whatever.

" _Meh. Daily treats"_ He shrugged it off. It's not like he couldn't brainwash the man that's ordered to brainwash him.

" You are deemed not guilty" He said heavily

" But, we would like to ask you to help us, it must be God's enlightenment for you to come to us from that village. Perhaps with your devotion, the souls of your fellows may rest in heaven" He offered.

" _I'm the hunter, and yet he's acting like he's some apostle of God"_ He deadpanned

" Ah, no…"

" I insist. We lost a warrior, and I see great potential and devotion in you. Why not put all your power for God's will? To devote our whole life for God, that's the biggest pleasure a man can ever reach!" He ranted.

" _And here comes the brainwashing"_

" I believe God gives us freedom to choose, and to live life to its fullest. I didn't know all people must be a priest" He replied.

" For God loves us, He wants nothing more than to see us happy. Am I right?"

The great priest was shocked. He had never seen a boy his age talking wisdom that he gathered for years, and yet, now he's here, in front of his eyes. This boy was saying things that made him waver years ago. Why, just why would God ask us to sacrifice our lives like a lamb? Why did the only way to heaven become through suffering without facing happiness? Why, to become holy, you must give up on being human?

" NONSENSE! You receive everything from God, it's only right to serve Him with everything as well! You-" The baldy prosecutor shrieked

" Did He ask for that? Did God ask us to give him everything, to return everything we received from Him?" Kaito's reply got everyone thinking.

" Nakashima Kaito! I hereby deem you as a priest, this concludes this trial! Guards, take him to the armory and give him the usual" The judge's hammer banged the table loudly.

" Eh?" Kaito deadpanned

" EEHHH?!" He screamed as the men in robes grabbed him and took him to a building. Inside, he found a huge mass of weapons stored neatly. He gaped at the collections of holy swords, with energy blades or not. Blades of various designs from centuries of Church, perhaps only his armory could rival this place.

" A-Aren't those weapons stored in the Central Church?!" He screamed out his mind.

" What are you talking about? All church has access to the armory. It's just a mobile dimension room, after all." The men who brought him said.

" Take what you want. If the sword likes you, you can have it" The man said

" Really? Then I can take as much as I want?"

" Err…you can take the energy swords, but I don't think the holy swords would be okay" He answered.

" Shame. But, well" He walked through the whole collection for the next five hours, until he took a silver sword with gold trims on it.

" Ooh..Galatin. The sword once used by one of the Knights of Round Table." He commented

Kaito swung it around a few times, like what he did to other swords there. He smiled and walked out of there.

" I like this" He took it and picked up a scabbard for his new sword, and the priest took him to change clothes. Kaito followed him.

Later, he found himself in white robes like those used by priests. He sighed tiredly, not wanting to stay single for the whole life. Luckily, it was just obligation, so he wouldn't have to actually become a full-fledged priest.

" Come here. We're going on training now" The priest threw him to a big field. He rubbed the back of his head, until he noticed the place. The church itself was like a huge academy, with nuns and priests, and some trainee. This was likely the place to train combat beacons to exterminate devils and the likes.

" I wonder how's Snow doing now…" He mumbled.

* * *

Shirayuki Hana was panting tiredly. Not because she was physically exhausted, but the fact that Kaito sent her and stayed there to fend them off for 3 seconds she needed to escape made her sick. She came out from the circle and saw the barren wastelands she passed before with him.

" Oh…" She nearly puked, and Kaito was not there to comfort her. She stood wobbly and walked around the place, determined to find him or die trying.

* * *

Kaito himself was still running with some other combat priests. After experiencing a taste of hell from Zecrow and some of his 'loving' friends, this kind of training was a laugh. He marched through the hills and back to complete today's regime.

" Nakashima Kaito, forward!" The coach called.

He was holding a bokuto, with others chattering behind his back. He smirked to himself. It's the same as usual. How people talked behind his back and suddenly shunned him for some made-up rumors. How they predated others just to boost their foolish ego.

" Heh, new kid. You know there's something called 'initiation' here." His bulky enemy stood tall above him, holding his own bokuto cockily. He just looked at him with dead expression on his face. Trying hard not to get intimidated, he raised his bokuto to a stance.

"Let's have some FUN!" He dashed, emphasizing on the 'fun' as he spat those crude words. Kaito sighed and swung his bokuto on a wide arc, effectively stopping his blind tackle. Using that simpleopening, he closed the distance and swung his sword, right to his head. The guy winced, waiting for the impact.

" What?" He dared himself to look. And look what he saw. Kaito stopped his sword an inch from his forehead. He dropped to his knees.

" Match end!" The coach bellowed. Kaito spun his blade like a pro and sent him a smile. He helped the guy get up.

" So, I guess that's it for initiation?" He asked

" You're no joke, man" He punched him lightly.

They walked to the dorm together, or more like the thug followed him to the dorm. Not that he complained, since he could say nothing. He suddenly turned back, and nearly kissed the guy accidentally.

" _I'm sure there was someone there"_ He thought.

A man in white priest robes was catching his breath. That guy turned to him the moment he set eyes on him. And here he thought he was the best spy the church had to offer. That boy's eyes…they were not normal! The instant he looked him turning his way, he felt a jolt in his body, and all his instincts screamed 'RUN' at him.

" Just what is he?" He wondered

* * *

" What are you doing?" Kaito sighed, as he looked at the same guy who fought him. They were already wearing casual clothes given from the priests ( Well, duh, because priest robes were bad for sleeping)

" Trying to get to know the new kid…" His eyes rolled

" And?"

" Please tell me how to be strong!" He was suddenly kneeling in front of him.

" What?"

This boy blushed in embarrassment. He looked away from him, like he was a kid caught red handed with a jar of cookies.

" Okay. Here goes…Why do you want to be strong again?" Kaito rubbed his temples. The guy looked mellow and hurt. He could sense anxiety and thirst for praise inside him, it made him frown.

" Like you, I was pretty new in this monastery. I entered this place just 3 years ago. You know that village below?" He asked

" Yeah"

" That's where I'm coming from" He looked up

" I'm sorry"

" No, no. Don't be" He waved his hand

" Actually, I don't feel bad about it. I mean, that village gave me to the church against my own will. How am I supposed to like that?" He laughed. Kaito just stared at him.

" Well, okay. I do feel a bit sad. My house got burnt, after all. But, I've got a home here, so it's okay. I never knew my parents, too. That's why they sold me in the first place." He kept on with his story.

" But all I got is this big body. No skills, speed, or brains. I'll be good for a while, then what? No one's gonna hire a big useless exorcist" He slumped to the floor.

" Guess so" He commented. Well, seeing this burly guy doing this…He had no way to refuse him. He finally stood up and knelt in front of him.

" I'm warning you. I can fight, but I can't teach. I'll show you how I fight, you must find your own style." He said while taking a towel from the cupboard.

" Yeah, thanks a lot."

" Just get ready for tomorrow" He closed the door behind him.

* * *

That guy was ready with track suit on. He even said he'd done warm-ups for a whole hour before Kaito got there! And here he thought he woke up early.

" I'm ready" He was determined

" Er, okay then. I'm going to show you some techniques okay?" Kaito walked to pick up one of the scattered bokutos everyone used yesterday. He threw one to him, and picked a distance.

" What are you doing?"

" I guess you need techniques first, and the best way is to forcefully drill it to you." He said with a tint of sadism inside.

" Prepare yourself. You will NEVER forget what I show you today" His smile crooked evilly and he dashed with monstrous speed to the poor thug.

" AAAHHH!"

That scream shook the whole monastery and left it scarred for a week.

Kaito focused on training his new apprentice sword skills and how to properly use power to save and prolong a fight as much as possible. Also basic speed training and some more 'intercourse' brought personally from hell. Luckily, that guy had great willpower and managed to barely endure his training.

" You've done well" He said as he parried the thug's bokuto

" If you can still casually talk to me like this, that means you're still far above me" He tried to stab his torso

" Well, I'm good with swords, after all" He danced away from that stab and with a quick motion, slammed his sword to his torso.

" Done" He stopped his sword an inch from it.

Surprisingly, that thug had many friends despite his scary look and big body. And to think in a week he hadn't disappeared like every time he came to school. Weird, right? But, as absurd as it was, it happened. In fact, he was there, surprising everyone with how flexible his body was. They simply stared in disbelief as he did a full split easily.

" Dude, you're rubber-man!" One of them spoke

" Wicked sick" The one who liked to play Dota said

" Uhh…" Kaito sighed, not used to so much attention.

He suddenly shot up and turned around quickly. He felt it again. That annoying, amateurish bloodlust. He wasn't particularly concerned, since whoever making that kind of bloodlust wouldn't be much of a fight for him. But, he was afraid of someone stalking him. It would be a major twist, wouldn't it?

That night, he was ready to sleep. Ever since he was brought here, he couldn't sleep well. His instincts kept rambling all the time. The spirits in the church were restless, too. Lost in thoughts, he wandered off to the internal church's grounds. A sigh broke his train of thoughts effectively. He saw a blonde haired girl, about 16 was sitting on a bench over there. Although her expression looked like she wanted to die, but she was still cute nonetheless.

" Hey" He walked unnoticed to behind her. Not being a loner didn't mean losing his powers. He could still walk around like a ghost on a whim. She let out a yelp and turned to him almost immediately.

" Pervert!" She pulled out a sword from nowhere and nearly sliced off his head.

" Really? And why are you here, young miss? For your information, it's way past curfew" He looked at her and his eyes widened.

Her eyes were wet, with trickles of tear skidding down her cheek.

" No, don't look!" She turned away in a flash

" You…you're that girl, that so-called carrier of Joan of Arc" He spoke in disbelief. He sensed a strong pool of emotion inside her. Doubts, regret, and a tint of despair were swelling up inside her, and were expanding fast.

" Yes"

" I see. So, why is the carrier of great spirit sitting here in midnight?" He sat beside her

" I'm getting some cool air." She wiped her tears clean.

" So, how does being a nun feel? And the fact that you carry a saint's spirit" He relaxed. Her body tensed for a while.

" It's….okay. It's nice being someone who everyone looked up to, and I enjoy doing good things in the name of God… " She meekly spoke

" Really?" He offered her a bottle of water

" Thanks. But, yeah, it's nice. You're that new kid, aren't you?"

" Uh-um. By the way, how did the spirit of Joan get transferred?"

" Simple really. Joan of Arc was reduced to ash after her time, and one suitable girl receives her blessing and spirit by pouring water with her ash to that girl. Well, that's about it"

" Oh"

" Enough about me. How about you? Getting comfortable here?" She tried to change topic

" The clothes are hot, no AC, and praying every single day? Not really" He smirked

She looked down at the floor, suddenly interested at her feet. Her blonde hair shadowed her blue orbs. Then, she looked up, gazing at the male's dark blue orbs. She couldn't help but think 'who am I?' She was the carrier of Joan of Arc's will, and everyone saw her as such. She was that, nothing more, nothing less. She had looked at the trial. How he stood up and shared his opinion, how he left everyone in that room in awe, and how he made freedom looked so temping made her wonder just who this man really was.

" You okay?"

" I'm cold. I'm going back" She stated

" 'Kay. Sweet dreams" He waved

" Jeanne. Yours?"

" Nakashima…Kaito" He stood up and saw her leave.

" Nice to meet you, Kaito-kun. I'm Jeanne" She turned and smiled brightly at him.

He waited until she got out of sight and walked back to male's dorm himself. His instincts already warned him that the stalker might see him again.

* * *

 **Read, Rate, and Review please**


	11. A Reason To Live

**Highschool DxD is not mine.**

* * *

Kaito woke up in this strange cell with a lot of strange, monster-like equipment all over the place. He blinked a few times, and found himself tied up to some weird cross with all kinds of gems on it.

" The hell?!" His limbs were put inside some kind of sucker and it made him feel weak and sloppy. It was almost like being sleepy but couldn't sleep. His body also ached badly for some unknown reasons.

" Heh, that boy…"

He heard a whisper from outside the room. Mustering all the power he had, he used it all to sharpen his ears to extreme levels.

" You'll get your promotion, don't worry. As I suck that boy's holy energy dry, a new holy sword shall be born. We'll be the first to invent a holy sword from pure holy energy!" Wait, he knew that voice!

" True, but if they smell us…"

" Meh, don't worry. A life of a young boy is nothing compared to what we shall receive! They know that as well. If not, we'll just say it's a noble sacrifice for God. They won't know we kidnapped him, so we might as well say him giving himself voluntarily. He'll be dead already, anyway"

He clicked his tongue. How stupid of them. They thought this measly little cuff would hold him for long? HA! Dream on, fat-ass. He wiggled his hands around, only to find himself getting even more stuck than before.

" O-kay, this might be problematic." He kept on trying to shed off that wretched cuff off him. For God's sake! It wouldn't budge!

* * *

Jeanne walked around the monastery to find the new boy she met before. She had searched all around, but there was no one knowing anything. She sighed in exhaustion as he found the infamous thug from the Combat Region. Okay, one last try, she thought.

" Hey, do you know where Nakashima Kaito is?" She politely asked

" HUH?!" He growled back, noticing the blond girl cowering in front of him. His expression softened immediately.

" Sorry. I kinda hate it when people disturb me in training" He sheepishly spoke.

" No, it's okay. He's that new boy from about 2 weeks ago" She answered.

" Oh, him. I never saw him since yesterday, too" He said with a glint of worry in his voice. He could train himself, sure, but it was a far cry from training with him. Not to mention he was a really good listener.

" I'm starting to get worried…" She bit her finger anxiously.

" I know" He adopted a serious expression as well.

2 weeks later…

Kaito was slumping on his cross. It really was inescapable. Nothing he did could break off those stupid chains binding his limbs. And to top it all off, his energy was seeped away from him in an alarming rate. At this rate, he might die as skin and bones before he could even gather enough power to break out from there.

" I'm hungry…" He muttered. He wasn't fed in two weeks straight.

His thoughts were blown off when he heard several footsteps and a strong energy signature that reeked of holy power. He heard many things from outside, some chatters about how the monastery was doing, and the most recent event a.k.a the brutal massacre on the village down there.

" That was a horrendous event. So, where's the killer?" A woman's voice was heard.

" Um, he's in the prison. Not to worry, miss. He won't do anything ever again" That voice again…he'd spent two weeks trying to remember, and he found out. It was that baldy prosecutor that was trying to charge him.

" Well, could you let me see him?" She asked

" Y-Yes, Ma'am. Please wait for a while" He gulped.

The door creaked open and he saw that damn prosecutor and a voluptuous blonde woman in her twenties with twelve wings from her back. The holy power was immense, but it was pure and calm, and full of kindness like she was radiating from all over her body.

" This is him?" She asked with an unreadable voice.

" Yes"

" Why…" Her blonde hair shadowed her face

" WHY IS HE LOOKING LIKE A WORN OUT CORPSE?!" She shouted at the poor prosecutor. In an instant, her power nature changed to hostile. Gone her gentle voice and expression, replaced by that of pure anger.

" No, no Ma'am! We had to chain him and weaken him so he wouldn't wreak havoc here! And what you see is just an after effect of the muscle depressant!" He chickened out in the presence of that lady. And she was right. Kaito looked like a corpse personally sent from a graveyard, albeit his skin made him a little bit…life-like. She took a few breaths and sighed. Hesitantly, she left that place.

Later that night…

Kaito was already mustering strength for two weeks with much, much effort on his part. Finally, he had collected enough strength to bust those stupid things stuck to his limbs. If only he had the moment to leave…

" Damn!" He spat out

Suddenly, a bright light erupted from the floor and turned to a cross and that woman from before appeared from it. Kaito left his mouth open in agape, until that woman did the honors and closed it for him.

" You need food" She took out a bag full of bread and water. She started feeding him and giving him drinks. He had finally tasted food after 2 weeks of near-death trance. She put down the glass on the floor and looked at him.

" Thank you…" He spoke with a shaky tone.

" I'm sorry…I knew he was lying, but he's essential for the church. I went berserk and saved you, the number of believers would unquestionably drop. And as angels rely on believers to continue living…" She whispered, afraid of the possible peepers.

" No matter. I'll still thank you. Can you tell me your name?" He coughed a little

" Very well then. I am called Gabriel, one of the Seraphs. Nice to meet you, Nakashima Kaito-kun." She said as she smiled brightly at him.

" Yes…" He smiled at her, too. Her wings started to shine and a cross made of light appeared.

" Okay… I'll be bringing food again later. Until then, Kaito-kun"

She left in a burst of feathers, leaving the room in darkness once again. Now he had enough energy and vitality to break these damn chains and plow through the enemy's defenses. He still had to get the timing, though.

" Well, whatever" He shrugged.

Two nights later, Gabriel was going to visit him with food hidden behind her robes, but she thought she saw some kind of bright light illuminating a room just 3 meters from her. Filled with curiosity, she walked to the room and saw a golden claymore resting on a pedestal. The holy power it radiated was insane, as if it was Excalibur reborn. She tucked out a cable supporting the holy power and tracked it carefully, until she arrived in front of the room she was so familiar with.

" Oh, Holy Father. Impossible…" She opened the door, only to see her worst thought coming true.

* * *

Kaito was waiting for Gabriel to bring rations for him. It wasn't really the food he was after, but she was a great cure for boredom. Being chained to a strange machine was really boring, for goodness' sake! At the very least, she could give him stories about things, not just sleeping around while being sapped away like a certain yellow sponge. The night passed on quickly, and he soon found himself in front of Gabriel. She walked to him quickly and touched his forehead.

" This won't hurt, okay?" She pulled away and started yanking the chains.

" Um…Gabriel-san, what are you doing?" He nervously muttered.

" No use…seems like it's made of dimensional sacred gear, and a Longinus, too…breaking this won't be easy" She started smashing it with holy power.

" Gabriel-san, what about the believers?"

" I don't care anymore. I deem your life more precious than a dozen of those fakers " She hit harder. He heard her muttering words about being unable to smash it with full power, or they'd be noticed. He sighed and raised his head

" Gabriel-san, move back a little"

" What?"She stopped her violent actions

" Just believe me"

She walked back by several steps. He started to summon the power he'd been accumulating for weeks and released them all in one go. The cuff and the room shook violently, along with the whole monastery. His body glowed with power and his pupils turned to slits.

" HYAAAHHHH!" His scream filled the whole room, and everything exploded. After the smokes were gone, they were standing above a pile of rubble from what remained of the silly cuff that chained him before.

" That's better. Now, let's go!" He grabbed Gabriel's hand and ran. But, she shook his hand off with a quick yank, making him fall.

" I'll be preparing for your teleportation. Meet me at the outside of this monastery." She disappeared in a flash of light.

Kaito rose up and walked like a zombie to the door. Hearing that loud explosion caused by him, some priests came with weapons in their hands. They kicked the door in with a 'FREEZE!' yell. He didn't even raise his head against that foolish bunch of guards.

" Freeze, heretic! Go back to your cell!" One of them shouted

He kept on walking, and he pulled a sword from his dimensional armory. It was the sword that massacred the whole village down below and bathed in their blood. He raised it and the priests started to pull back

" Kh! Go back, or we'll have to use force!" They shouted again

The door was only 3 steps from him.

" Charge! Put this foolish heretic back to his place!" The leader raised his sword and swung it wildly to him. He smiled under his dark face and stopped the sword with two fingers. The priest looked at him in obvious shock.

" You're in the way." He moved his finger a little and the sword snapped in two with a loud crack.

" MOVE!" With a single punch, he sent half of them kissing the stone wall across the room. The others were too shaken to do anything else.

" S-Seriously?! This guy's supposed to be all bones by now, r-right?" They shuddered in front of him.

" Unfortunately for you people…" He gave out a maniacal smirk

"….I'm no human" He moved quickly.

His slashes were very accurate, and his movements were flawless. Arondight went through their flesh like hot knife against butter. Heads rolled, blood splattered, and yet, he was smiling. In an instant, the wall was dyed red with blood of those priests, clueless of what had killed them without mercy. He kept on his trip to outside and he found the room that Gabriel found before.

" Oh~~ So this is the sword made from my power. It's powerful, but it needs some improvement. Well, they don't deserve it, anyway" He grabbed it with one hand and took another holy sword from the armory.

" Clarent, huh? Mordred's sword…" He took a look at the slender silver sword he just found and strapped it on his waist, and strapped the claymore on his back. He stopped when he smelled something wrong in the air.

" Fire?!" He started running to the source of that smell.

* * *

She was the one who inherited the spirit of the legendary Joan of Arc, the legendary warrior of church. Her fate had been sealed the moment she was chosen as the holder. She was a holy woman, and she must do what was expected of her, no matter what. Helping people, being selfless, and many other things.

Jeanne was wearing a white robe and kneeling while a priest was chanting prayer and pouring her whole body with the so-called holy oil. They said it would make her ascend more quickly. Then, she was led to a stake where she was roughly tied with firewood under her feet. One of them brought a large torch and put it on the wood. She winced due to the heat

" Light 'er up!"

It was hot. Her body felt like burning, This was how those people repaid her for all her good deeds? Did she not deserve something for enduring her own desires for a very long time? But, she had no choice. What she's doing was for everyone. She was the only one who could do it.

" Bring more woods!"

" Jeanne, pray to the God who will accept your deed in Heavens. Be thankful to Him"

In other words, they're telling God to pay her for their deeds, and burning her on a stake like the witch hunt in Britain was an act of kindness and mercy? Her organs churned in agony, her blood started to darken, and her skin cracked. Why would that matter, anyway? She was okay with it. She _should_ be. That was the only way for her to gain recognition, and she accepted her fate as a part of the church, and she must do her part without any comment. That was the way the church had taught her all along. To abandon every desires, and live for others. To die in body and live in spirits of God. She should be happy that she was going to meet withGod, the one who had granted her mercy for all her sins.

" _Ah, that's right. It's because of him. All because of him"_

That night before he was gone, they had their last conversation. How she talked about helping people was good and that God would be happy for the good deeds humans do.

" But, you know, the important question is : are you happy with it?" He sipped his tea

" What?"

" Are you okay with being sacrificed, just to preserve something those priests made up? Don't you want to live?"

" Eh?"

" I mean, at the very least…everyone deserves to live and find their own happiness. Struggles, paths, and other things are just our way of showing that we live. It's a part of being human." He smiled

" But...wouldn't we need to meet God? The sooner the better."

" That's where you're wrong. if that's true, then why did God give us life? Why did God give us life? I believe He wanted us to live our time wholly, because in the end, we'll meet Him, and eventually all memory, bitter and sweet will turn to nostalgia you'd always cherish. Then, we can tell him, how life had been for us. Loving him is another part, but we shouldn't forget the other parts too."

" Then, what should I do?"

" Live, cherish, love, and cry. Struggle to your desire. Do what you want. Make your life happy, not for others, but for you. Why did God make us happy in serving others? We find happiness in smiles of others, and content in their relief. If it makes you happy, why not?"

" I don't know..." She answered.

* * *

That's right. Since that day, Her desires had changed. she didn't want to die, she wanted to feel, she wanted to be happy, She wanted to see this vast world had in store for her.

" Rejoice, Jeanne. Soon, your noble deed will acquire you a seat in Heaven!" The priest prayed for her. No, this was wrong. She didn't want to end up in ashes like the previous holders. She didn't want to end up dying for what people believed.

" I WANT TO LIVE!"

She bellowed, shocking all the people near her. She slumped, giving away all her energy for that shout.

" If that's what you want, I'll gladly grant it"

She looked up, and suddenly found herself in the arms of the very man who told her to live as how she desired, the reason for her to live.

" Heretic!" A beacon came to him, sword raised.

*SLASH!*

His head rolled on the floor. It was a clean kill. Kaito's claymore gleamed under the fire's light.

" Now, who's next?" His eyes lit up with rage as he brandished the golden claymore he had taken before.

" Impossible! How did you get away from that cross?! It was made from Dimension Lost Longinus!" The bald prosecutor said. He cast a scary glance and made him release an 'eep'.

" Shut up"

He raised his sword and with a stab, and he left that guy bleeding to death. She mustered all her power and looked at her savior.

" T-Thank.." She deliriously muttered, blood trickling from her wounds.

" Shh. No talking. You'll live, as I said. Don't worry." He ran outside, quickly surrounded by many priests. He smirked as he held Jeanne with his shoulder and pulled his sword to eye level. He dashed forward, decapitating two priests with style.

" Now, I'll do you all a favor and clean this place completely. Prepare yourself" He encased himself in holy aura. He smirked and jumped high. He hovered mid-air using a sword as a fly board. Then, he glided down and rinsed the ground with blood.

" Wow, I guess being tied and sapped for holy energy wasn't for nothing, huh? I can use holy power now" He whistled.

" M-Master?"

Kaito stopped for a while only to see the thug he had been teaching for quite some time. He looked at him warily. He had a basket in his grasp, full of food.

" Choose who you'll believe. Me or them" He pointed the sword at him. He laughed nervously

" Idiot. Of course it's you. But, an angel told me to get food for you" He handed out a basket full of food and some remedy to him

" But let me go with you. I don't want to stay in this place anymore!" He begged

" I killed the ones who had dirtied this place. If there's anyone who can change this misguided place, it's you. Besides, those guys will need you, won't they?" He pointed at the direction where he had left that baldy prosecutor with a massive stomachache he wouldn't get rid of very soon. Perhaps until death.

" Fine. But, your name…"

" Guess what? I'll give you my real name. I'm Kurayama Kaito. Be good, okay?" He ran to the waiting Gabriel

" Chris Maxwell. BYE!" He shouted, as Kaito faded from that place. But, before they disappeared, a man clung to them and got teleported with them.

Later…

" Kaito, where are you?" Hana was walking around. She hadn't done anything other than walking around the area while searching for him for a whole month. When she nearly fell like she often did, an arm carefully supported her.

" What are you doing here? Geez, you're reckless"

Her eyes started to swell with tears. He twitched, but still wrapped his arms around her, trying his hardest to comfort her. She shakily raised her hand and slammed it to his firm chest. Then, her other fist followed.

" Baka! Why did you throw me? Don't you know how worried I was? Idiot, you're a total airhead!" She kept on pounding his chest.

" You…were worried about me?" He asked, ignoring her light pounds on his chest. It was a very unusual feeling for him. Even his parents wouldn't worry like that for him, heck, no one really cared for him except…his last girl.

" Akane…" His mouth muttered the name that had changed his life for the better. The name that made his heart warm and fluffy, with a tint of hurt inside, the fact that she had died to protect this worthless whelp.

" Yeah, I was worried! I don't want to lose you, not like that" She tried to hold his hand, only to be stopped by a knife from nowhere. They both looked at the stupid guy who just dug his very own grave.

" Ohh…you're that wannabe assassin, eh?" Kaito took the knife and kicked it straight to him. It landed one cm beside his cheek. When he tried to look at him, his face was already right in front of him, hands choking his neck. He knew if he wanted to, he could break his neck like a dry branch. Oh, how he wanted to just shatter his skull, but Gabriel was still there. He wouldn't want her to see such gruesome scene needlessly.

" Get lost" He threw him to the ground, making sure he wouldn't wake up for the next 3 hours. At least he wouldn't nag them for a while. Jeanne was being treated by Gabriel, and Hana was falling right after she made the portal..

" I'll take Jeanne with me. Don't worry. I'll guarantee she has the freedom to choose what she really wants with no interference." Gabriel scooped her up.

" Just…take care of her, 'kay?"

He carried Hana princess-style and walked to the portal she made earlier. She wasn't so heavy, in fact, she was thinner than ever. And he thought her frame was already too small to even shrink anymore.

" We're off. Bye, Gabriel-san."

" Farewell, Kaito-san. Take care"

" Will do" He replied as they disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the Seraph alone with Jeanne in the wilderness.

* * *

" Uwah~ It's been long since I last met my pillow. Ow, you~" He put Hana on his bed

*NYAA!*

Kuroka in her cat form clawed his face, leaving three scratches on his tired face. He sighed and placed her on the floor.

" Yep. Totally normal" He laughed to himself.

" Welcome back, Kaito. Where did you go? I searched all over for you" Raynare flew in and retracted her wings.

" Just…doing things. No big deal"

" Well, if you say so…by the way, Kaito…" She put her pointy finger together.

" Yeah?"

" Could you teach me how to control spears tomorrow? I'm okay with throwing, but close range would be troublesome for me."

" Sure, no biggie"

She slumped hearing his casual reaction. Not noticing it, he pulled his blanket to warm the fallen maiden. Her breathing was stable, but it looked like he had to prepare food later. Her stomach was learning how to sing already.

" What happened to her?" Kuroka turned to her human form.

" She was totally reckless, and hhh~" He sat on his comfortable chair. Raynare sat on his table and looked him at the eyes.

" What, Ray?" He stared at her, too

" Nothing" She blushed and looked away, while Kuroka shaking her head with a long sigh. He could swear she whispered 'idiot' to him.

" _I do hope nothing bad happens tomorrow. It would totally suck otherwise"_ He rested his head on the desk and started snoring.

* * *

 **It's Easter Holiday, so I thought I'd upload some chapters quickly. So, it ends this original arc. From here on out, I'm going to stray off canon here and there, but I'll still follow the story. Maybe. Well, until next time. Ciao!**


	12. Of The Blades and Exorcists

**With the Arondight arc done, I can start on my Holy Sword arc! *jeng, jeng* Well, guess I'll give no spoilers and skip to the story. Anyway, I tweaked out the story a bit, so feel free to find out!**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine, but my OCs and the story are.**

[[…]] techniques, skill, chants

* * *

It had been a whole week since the whole ordeal with the church. Jeanne had been taken away by Gabriel, and Hana had gone back to her place, since she was busy. Honestly, couldn't she tell him what could keep her so busy? She'd always jump out randomly and blurt out random things at random time, too.

" Hhh, nothing is better than a good, normal day" Kaito sighed in contentment while slumping on his chair tiredly. Rias said the clubroom was being cleaned that day, so the clubroom was clearly out of question. Shame, though. Sleeping on the Victorian-style super soft sofa there would be a nice daily treat for him. Now he had to be content with playing his PC and maybe chatting with Hana if she's online.

" But, still, Asia's blended in nicely, thanks to Issei. If only he managed to tone down his level of pervert, he might be popular" He looked at Asia who was talking happily to Murayama and Katase. She took the role of 'innocent blonde bishoujo from other country' in the class, all the boys adored her, and all the girls wanted to protect her over-innocent mind from the famous Pervert Trio. Oh, he'd really love to see the look on the girls' faces when they knew she was staying in the same house as the infamous perv.

" _When that happens, Gender War III will really break out. Male vs female."_ He laughed slightly by that crazy thought.

Class was as hell as always, but the good thing about it was that it'd always end no matter what. He could rest easy knowing that.

* * *

" So, what are you doing here?" He sat on his bed while Rias, Akeno, Issei, Koneko, and Kiba plus Raynare sitting on the floor.

" Well, you know, the clubroom is being cleaned…so, we kinda decided to come her and resume our club activities" Rias smirked at him

" And why my house? I thought you'd all go to Issei's, since he's your family member" He raisd his eyebrow. Rias showed obviously fake hurt look on her face.

" No way…Kaito-kun, you don't want us in your house?" She looked like a kicked puppy.

" You know that's impossible. But, it's just a basic deduction" He shrugged

" Meh, at most she wanted to see your room for herself, and hopefully trash around your things a bit, Kaito" Raynare stood and sat beside him. Rias sent out a dangerous glare at her.

" I don't want his killer to talk like that" She retorted

" Yeah? Well, I only care about HIS opinion, anyway" She pointed at Kaito, who sweatdropped heavily due to this inter-species catfight.

" Now, now. Please refrain from ruining my room…" He raised his hands

" What is this?" Koneko pulled out a white book from his shelf examined it.

" Eh? No!" He jumped from the bed and leaped to her. She jumped and threw it to Rias quickly. She caught it, but Koneko got pushed down by his unfortunate jump.

" Gomen, Koneko-san" He smiled nervously at her, with his hands pinning her down. Her eyes twitched, and she smashed her tiny but heavy fist straight to his face. He dodged and quickly jumped back to his bed. Raynare put her hand on her mouth with disbelief painted all over her face.

" Kaito-kun…a lolicon?!"

" 'Course not, come on!" He shouted frantically. Then, he remembered the book and saw Rias looking at it with shaking hands. She pushed her face to the book and started shaking it with all her might.

" Little Kaito-kun…" She muttered. Raynare raced to her side and cast a glance to that book as well. Her eyes widened comically and she too, grabbed the book while muttering the same thing continuously.

" This is why…It's my only photo album I have. I didn't think you'd come, much less find it. This is hell" He fell to the bed and looked hopeless as his album was seen by the whole ORC plus Raynare.

" Ara, ara. Naked Issei-kun" Akeno giggled with extreme intensity involved, causing the male shudder violently. Kaito looked at the girls glaring at his album and sighed, surrendering his fate to those girls. None of them would be too absorbed by his photos anyway.

" By the way, Kaito-kun, Issei-kun. Where and when did you take this photo?" Kiba suddenly asked both of them. Kaito sensed something was off about him immediately. There was something dark and hideous lurking inside him, but he knew better than to run his mouth around carelessly. He wasn't Issei.

" Hmm…Roughly 10 years ago." Issei replied.

" Hoo~ Then, do you know where this sword is?" His eyes darkened.

" It was something from 10 years ago. Of course not." Kaito answered quickly. He made sure his tone was careless and uncaring.

Kiba eyed the photo like his life depended on how sadistically he killed that photo a thousand times over. He shoved it to Kaito's face and spoke.

" That's a holy sword" He was really gloomy.

" Kiba?" The blonde knight left his house

" Buchou, what's with him?" Issei rubbed his head in confusion. Rias took the liberty and sighed at her knight's behavior.

" Buchou, we have a distress call from the Duke. A stray devil is on the loose" Koneko showed her message to Rias.

" Hmm~ We'll act at night" She stood and prepared to fight tonight.

Later…

Rias and the whole ORC plus Kaito were standing in front of a big factory. As usual, that place reeked of blood. Issei covered his nose, hating the smell of blood that place emanated. Kaito simply looked at the abandoned factory and tapped on his black watch. Its gears clacked and turned, revealing a black rapier with red aura around the blade.

" We're going" Kaito, Issei, Kiba, and Koneko entered the factory while Rias and Akeno waiting outside to guard Asia.

The insides were even more gruesome. Pieces of flesh and muscles were lying on the floor. Blood was dripping from machines nearby, making that scene even more brutal. Issei was on his guard. It was rare to see Kaito drawing his actual sword, and the **(Black Camelia)** on top of that.

" Ohh, this is unexpected…" A voice cooed from inside. Everyone but Kaito shivered due to the pressure the voice held, and its sheer creepiness. The fact that it was male voice, but toned like a woman made them very aware. Their enemy was certainly NOT normal.

" Stay on your guard, guys…I'm afraid this is no stray devil we're gonna face." Kaito warned them again, just in case.

" Hey, Kaito-kun. Or should I say…Phantom Blade?" A masked man appeared from the darkness and walked towards them. Kaito's face paled and he pushed them away as quickly as possible.

A carnivorous plant chomped the concrete they were on before like cotton candy. Several more plants appeared nearby the masked man. His mask was like a crazed smiling joker, with red stripes and all. He couldn't even tell if he was smiling or not.

" Tch! I can't believe I get to see my old colleagues in this town. Guess fate has a way of making things go crazy, huh?" Kaito stood in a battle stance, something the ORC had rarely seen. Koneko put up her fists as defense, Kiba raised his blade, and Issei started boosting.

" _This is bad…fighting a hunter is never any good for anyone, even so with my power's like this"_ He cursed and jumped in.

" You guys stay away! Issei, give me your best dragon shots, but don't butt in!" He jumped in, and the plants started to cover the whole factory and sped towards him. Usually, trees wouldn't grow on concretes, but this time, trees with iron trunks all crawled to him, with carnivorous plants ready to devour him. He sliced off one tree with his sword and jumped out of their range.

" Now!"

He released a bunch of swords and they started to swirl overhead, looking for a chance to strike the controller. The masked guy scoffed and two flowers with pink buds appeared beside him. They suddenly spewed something to the swords flying around and to his surprise, the swords melted on contact.

" Acid seeds. The best way to deal with metal" He thrust his hand and the whole forest swarmed him. Kaito jumped, but an acid flower was ready to spew its seed on him, until a red blast blew off its head.

" Thanks for the save!"

The hundred swords swirling above started to join the fight, hacking away the roots and protecting him from any immediate danger. He jumped and landed on his swords, using them as steps to the masked man.

" Gotcha!" He slashed the man's face completely, leaving a huge scar on it. He stumbled back and held his face. He grabbed his mask and threw it away. Everyone closed in to see his face, but Kaito grabbed their collar and threw them outside the factory.

*BOOOMM!*

The man exploded in a blast of acid seeds. The ORC was okay, since everyone was thrown outside like ragdolls, but Kaito was still inside when the whole factory was turned to rubble by that corrosive explosion.

" KAITO!" Rias shouted

No answer. She marched in, only to see him covered in acid from head to toe. Luckily, he managed to protect himself a bit, so he didn't melt completely. Yet. The masked man came out from the rubbles with his mask unscathed. He kicked the barely conscious Kaito's head and laughed.

" This is the legendary Phantom Blade? PATHETIC! You're like the dirt on my shoes. Look, I'm using your head to clean it" He rubbed his shoe to his hair. Suddenly, Rias burst in crimson aura of destruction.

" DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

She launched a sphere of destruction in a fit of rage. That man simply raised his hand, and vines came to shield him. Her Power of Destruction bounced harmlessly on those plants. Rias didn't care and continued launching projectiles after him. A vine crept to her foot and lifted her off the ground and slammed her to the ground.

" BUCHOU!" Asia came to her and started healing her. The guy spread his arms and bellowed to the world.

" See this, dwellers of the spirit world. Look how powerless your master before me. Phantom Blade is nothing more than a silly name, with no power attached!" He laughed.

The air started to hiss uncontrollably, and the atmosphere shook. The air changed completely, even Rias could hear the screams of rage shouting from somewhere nearby. Chatters, screams, and insults came one after another, until one voice shut them all up.

" No need. I'm getting him. You guys stay outta this" Kaito rose up.

[Master…don't hold back]

[Destroy him]

[Let him taste you true might…]

" I know. Shh~" He whispered. He threw away the remnants of his blade and stood firmly. His eyes were cold, the eyes that would kill without remorse. The eyes of Death.

" If you won't come to me…" His body was surrounded by white aura again. He dashed in insane speed and raised his fist.

" I'll come to you"

The man raised his hands in reflects, but he was too slow. The vines couldn't make it in time. Kaito'd just deflect them with his arms and legs without stopping. He stopped in front of a wall of vegetation and summoned two short swords. They glowed white when he crossed them. Two bright slashes burned that wall to ash, and he charged in without hesitation.

" Idiot!"

Two acid flowers were ready to spit. Their seeds melted the ground Kaito was on. But, he was nowhere to be seen.

" You're the idiot. Did you think I'd fall for such petty trick twice?" He hovered above, flying with the wings he had showed before, although they seemed like normal fallen angel's wings now. He smirked and in one fell swoop, he slashed the man's body, from shoulder to hip with his two short swords with invisible speed.

" [[Accel]]" He muttered

The man fell back and exploded to a blast of gas this time. Kaito swung his sword, effectively dispersing the gas.

" We'll meet again"

Issei went home with lazy expression on his face. The stray devil turned out to be a crazy joker with some serious powers. And what's worse, it was already very late! He didn't have time to sleep anymore. Asia was a bit exhausted due to healing Rias, and Issei had to support her home. Not like he hated it, though. When he got close to home, he felt his devil senses tingling violently. He slammed the door in, fearing for the worst, but what did he get? Two girls with white cloaks over their body and a strange looking package on their side. They sighed in relief and tried to sneak up without having those guests notice.

" Hey, Issei-kun" A bubbly voice stopped him dead.

" Ara, Issei. Say hello to your old friend. My, my. She was very tomboyish back then, but look at her now. A bona fide beautiful woman" She put her hand on her cheek.

" HUH?! Wasn't she a boy?" Issei gaped in surprise.

" Come on, Issei. That was rude" She commented

" Well, it can't be helped. I was quite the tomboyish girl back then…" Irina rubbed the back of her head with a smile.

" But, still. It's surprising how much ten years can change someone…" She continued with a bit of bloodlust in her voice.

" Kh…"

* * *

It was a hot day. Kaito was already out on the streets, buying cold drinks and ice cream just to counter the insane heat that day. On his way back, he saw two seriously suspicious white cloaked figures. One of them had a big package strapped on his back. 'His' because there's no way a girl could carry such big thing easily.

" Hmm? They're going to school, really?" He put an ice cream inside his mouth and tailed them back to school.

" Excuse me, we'd like to meet Rias Gremory" Those two shady figures entered the STC room and talked with kaichou. Kaito looked at them and waited them until she had Tsubaki escort them to ORC room Rias was in. He sneaked inside and looked at the trembling student council president with her hands supporting her head.

" Kaichou, what did they ask?"

" They…wanted to see Rias…and that sword…" She trembled

" Hm?"

" Is a holy sword" His eyes widened at her statement, and he quickly ran to the ORC room, fearing what might happen to the ORC. Sure, there's a chance that they wouldn't dare to do anything with her status as the sister of the Maou himself, but if there's one thing he had learned from his previous trip, it's that people acquainted with the church were completely suicidal and reckless to the point of insanity. They might just decide that God ordered them to eliminate that girl to punish the race known as devil by mutilating a relative of the Demon King. He slammed the door open, only to see them sitting with Rias and Akeno.

" Ara, Kaito. You've come" Rias turned to him.

The two strangers also turned to him. One of them was a short haired blunette with a toned body, in muscular means. She perfectly fit the category of 'athletic girl' character in game. A strong, and stupidly honest girl, with high naivety level. The other was a girl with light brown hair in twin-tails style and purple eyes. Both were quite beautiful, in different way. The blunette rested her sword beside the sofa, while the brown haired one looked weaponless.

" Hii~ Kaito-kun. Didn't expect to see you here" The brown girl waved her hand cheerfully at him. Nostalgia hit him, when that cute voice entered his ears. He looked carefully at the brown girl and gasped.

" IRINA?!" He exclaimed.

" That's right. Long time no see. By the way, this is Xenovia" She winked at him.

Issei also looked at both of them and ogled their breasts, while Kiba sending out 'lovely' glances at them. Even Issei became uneasy with that stinging feeling on his back. However, those two seemed oblivious to them.

" So, what does the Central Church want with me? To send two holy sword wielders to my territory like this…" Rias opened the conversation.

" Actually, the holy swords from all across the world have been stolen. The Excalibur Fragments were stolen by Kokabiel, leaving 3 of them. This is one of them, Excalibur Destruction" She unwrapped her pack and revealed a great sword with three points instead of one, and axe style hilt with a cross on its base.

" Mine is…Excalibur Mimic!" Irina pulled a long ribbon from her arm and it turned to a katana immediately, releasing faint holy aura.

" Hoo~ That sword is practical" Kaito commented

" I know. It can change to nearly anything within reasons. Plastic bag, book, ribbon, and even dolls!"

" Have you tried light saber?" He asked

" Hmm~ You're right. Maybe I should" Irina looked at her sword.

"ENOUGH!" Xenovia slammed her hand at the table and pointed to Rias.

" We want you to stay out of this and not help Kokabiel in any way possible. Do I have your word, Miss Gremory? If not, I shall cut you down here and now, even if you're the sister of Maou." She raised her sword

" What do you think I am?" She flared out her aura as well

" A devil who's likely to help with the destruction of Excaliburs. All in all, devils hate holy weapons, don't they?" She cast a brave smile.

" I have my pride as the royal family. Don't worry. I won't lay a hand on Excaliburs without prior triggers. You have my word." She flashed a deathly smile.

" Good. We'll be leaving now" She grabbed her sword and walked to the door. Before leaving, she cast a glance to Asia and turned.

" Are you Asia Argento?"

" Um, yes…" She stuttered

" I heard about the holy maiden that became a witch…How horrible. Do you still have the slightest bit of faith left in you?" She asked. Kaito was already sighing, really hating how this might go, and how his hot headed friend might react.

" I believed Him for my whole life. I can't just throw it away" She looked down. Xenovia snickered and she pulled out her sword and pointed it at Asia. Kaito's eyes sharpened, and his fists were already clenched.

" And you…the heretic that massacred the church from the mountain in Japan. Hmph. It's really usual to see heretics gathering together like this. Well, witch. If your faith is still intact, then you should let me cut you down this instant" She brandished her sword

" Hey! Stay back, bastard!" Issei jumped in front of her.

" Even if you're a devil, God will still forgive you. Even more so with this holy sword cutting you down. You will surely have a pleasurable path to Heaven" She raised her sword, ready to strike Asia.

" HAHAHA!" Kaito's laugh shattered the atmosphere there. All eyes turned to him, including the muscle head bluenette.

" Interesting! Truly interesting! A naïve exorcist with Excalibur Destruction marched to Maou's sisters' territory, armed with two holy swords. Now, great beacon of God. Aren't you overestimating your power a little?" He stood and walked to them with a nasty smirk plastered on his face. Xenovia backed away from him.

" Anyway, what did you say? Asia is guilty for going astray? Wasn't it you guys who forced her to leave the church, after labeling her as a witch?" Jeanne's image flashed rapidly in his mind. How she believed in the kindness of church.

" She deserves it for healing the enemy of God" She retaliated

" And God said to treasure your enemies and to show kindness to them. If you gave kindness to your friends, what's in it for you? What makes you different from others?" He asked

" Uhh…" Being all muscles, she couldn't retort

" You're just a naïve and blind, self proclaimed servant of God. You have no right to call someone like her a witch." He said with a frown on his face.

" I have the holy sword! Doesn't this make me a great devotee to God? That He had entrusted me with one of the greatest artifacts in the Church?" She showed him her sword

" You know Freed Zellsen?"

" Yes. The stray priest that fell to madness"

" I heard he was one of the High ranking priest and the higher ups had an eye on him. Eventually, he got banished for killing too much devils and mythical monsters and bathing in their blood. In this case, aren't you the same as him?"

" Don't lump me in the same place as him!" Xenovia shouted.

" Oh. But you're looking to destroy someone who had brought joy to the thousand lives she cured without asking anything big for a reward. If anything, you look just like a beacon sent by Church because they didn't want their personal….tool fall to enemy's hands"

" Ugh…" Once again, she was completely shut by Kaito's deadly verbal strikes. Kaito's eyes were already full of hate and resentment, something everyone they rarely saw inside his dead eyes. Rias looked at him with a smile.

" _turning their own weapons against them. That's so like you"_

" What's wrong to live? She had never asked for anything but friends. A very small price for hundreds of lives she had saved, in my opinion. If only you people viewed her as a human, you'd have still had your healer here. Oh, I forgot. You fakers can't do that, can you?" He spat out.

" A Holy Maiden doesn't need friends. She must devote all her life to God"

" Who said that? Mr Great pope of church? Your people? In the end, you people are more evil than devils themselves, seeing them capable of making her happy" He ended

" You! I won't let you tarnish the name of the church any longer! I ask for a duel!" She pointed her sword at him. Irina didn't act, mostly because she found his words were undeniable. The church had been corrupted for a long time, and with that exposed, believers would be mad. She sighed and followed Xenovia.

" I'll join in, too" Kiba appeared and countless swords erupted from the floor.

" Who are you?"

" Your senpai. Well, I was a failure, though" He drew one sword and held it tightly.

* * *

Kaito and Kiba were ready to fight. Kiba was ready with his battle stance, while Kaito still had hateful eyes on. Those girls took their white robes off, revealing tight black battle suits that showed their curves. It didn't show her skin, but it hugged their figures to maximum extent clothes could do.

" Now, no kills, okay? I'm placing the barrier" Rias erected a full pale red barrier all over the place. Barely enough place to go wild.

" Here we go!" Irina gave a head start as she ran to Kiba, sword in hand. She swung her sword, and turned it to a long, sharp ribbon that almost claimed one of his limbs. Kiba fell back and parried the incoming attacks with his swords.

" [[Sword Birth]]!" He shouted

A trail of various blades raced to Irina, aiming to her legs. Kiba took the chance and jumped to strike. In air, she'd be completely defenseless against his attacks.

" An opening!" Irina stole his chance, turning the Excalibur Mimic to a sharp ribbon again and tied Kiba's demonic sword. Its steel groaned in destruction, and with a loud clank, it was cut in two.

" Tch! Freeze, burn! Flame haze, Freeze Mist!" He took out two swords in shape of sabers. He wildly swung them as they landed on the ground, but none hit. Irina ducked to avoid decapitation and sliced forward.

" You're quite good, I'll give you that. But, this is a holy sword" Irina winced, as the fire from Kiba's blade grazed her neck a bit. She put her hand on it to ease the pain stinging on her smooth skin. On the other hand, Kiba fell down and kissed mother earth. He groaned and looked at his stomach. It was only a slight scratch, but his blood was turning to smoke from that wound. He was really sure a sword wound couldn't hurt that much, but reality stung.

" That Knight…he should've kept a cool head, had he done so, maybe he could've lasted at least a little longer." Kaito commented and jumped to avoid the humongous blade Xenovia was swinging around.

" Pay attention to the fight!" She yelled.

He landed lightly on his feet, his breath was stable, despite he had been avoiding her attacks since the start of the battle. He dashed in, a katana in hand, intending for a swift kill. Of course, he made his swords incapable of excessive harm, but it'd still hurt if she got hit, although there'd be no wounds whatsoever. He smashed his blade against hers, metal against metal, sending her back to the limits of the barrier.

" I didn't expect a human to be this strong…" Her breaths were unstable and ragged, and she was already sweating a lot. Issei eyed her with utmost concentration, focusing on every nook and cranny of her delicious curves. The victim, however, didn't seem to be noticing his lusty stares.

" And I didn't expect someone like you was sent to take back the Excalibur from a Cadre class fallen angel Kokabiel. Really, what was the church thinking? Sending such hot-headed and immature fighter against a seasoned veteran…" He rubbed his temples in exasperation.

" Hey, tell me. Why did you agree to be sent on such suicidal mission like this? Was it the God's blessing? Was it the popes' saying? You'll be plummeting head first if you go on, Irina" He caught Irina's hand and pulled her wrist. She was forcefully moved to in front of his face, and she was looking at his eyes that showed concerns for his childhood friend.

" A-A holy sword can only be fought with another holy sword" She muttered

" Fanatic as always. Honestly, can you be anymore reckless about this?"

He sighed and released her. She stumbled back and fell on her ass. Xenovia took the chance again and raise her Excalibur Destruction overhead.

" YOU'RE MINE!" She yelled in victory as she brought down divine punishment on the so-called heretic.

The latter simply grunted and his left hand was adorned by scales in split seconds. His scale-clad hand was also encased by thick white aura he had been exuding from his body and concentrated solely on his hand. Her eyes widened in shock.

*GRAB*

He caught the sword with his bare hand, without the use of weapons or anything, just his scaly, aura-clad hand.

" Really? This is the best you can do?" He grinned

His grip tightened, and she felt shivers on her neck. He muffled his laugh and tightened his grip to insane levels. The metal he was grabbing cracked in agony and that spider crack expanded further. She widened her eyes in horror. The infamous holy sword, hailed to bring the greatest of destruction, was breaking in the hand of mere nameless human she had never heard of. He pulled the sword off her, and slammed the pommel against her stomach. She wailed and flew high, then fell to the ground, already unconscious.

" Oops. I went a bit over board there. My bad"

All eyes looked at him in horror and respect. Obviously, he had caught a holy sword casually and left a crack on it without even trying! That alone should be scary in and by itself, but furthermore, with his bare hands.

" _Hunters are far more terrifying than I thought…"_ Rias giggled at her amusing man's doing and declared the match done.

* * *

The exorcists left without words. Especially, Xenovia who had been brought to her knees so effortlessly by that unknown bystander. She was really starting to wonder if she could do this mission with the strength of two holy sword wielders. She was recollecting her thoughts when Irina came with a big square man-sized package on her back.

" XENOVIAA~ Look at this! I got a painting of a holy man

Oh, she was really regretting the fact that this idiotic airhead was her teammate.

Later that night…

Rias sat on Kaito's bed with her legs crossed elegantly, showing off her long and smooth legs befitting of a model. Her graceful posture must've been encrypted to her very being since early age, otherwise it wouldn't be possible to maintain that posture for a long time with that soft body of hers. He didn't know, he just assumed a girl's body would be softer than man, at least.

" I guess I should tell you about Yuuto, huh?" Her eyes were full of sadness.

" Normally, I'd let people confront their own problems while providing them with support, but this has escalated too much to act based on ideology. The possibility of Kiba becoming a stray is not low."

" I guess. Then, this is it…"

Several years ago…

A big building was covered in snow. By all means, it was big, but it was really run-down. It's like the building wasn't maintained very well by its holders. Some men could be seen dragging children in and out the facility for unknown reasons. Those kids were told to pray and have faith in God. They were called in one by one, and sometimes, faint voices could be heard from the walls.

" Kiba Yuuto. Come in"

A blonde haired kid about ten entered the room. He was told to close his eyes and be calm. Soon, he knew that it was impossible. Horrible pain seared through his being, making his muscles scream silently. He believed in God, that this pain would never be in vain. That God would always be with him and guide him through this hurdle. After they were done with whatever action they were doing to him, he returned to the cabin, where his friends were staying. It was an exaggeration to call it cabin, really. It was just an empty wooden house, barely containing the number of children stacked up inside. But, that number had dropped considerably due to various reasons.

" Yuuto, are you okay?"

" I want to go home…"

" Shh. Have faith in God. He won't let us down"

Kiba tried to soothe his friends. Actually, he also suffered because of the experiments they were doing at him. They didn't even bother to use anesthetics to lessen the pain, even just a bit. They had to go through that for weeks, perhaps months. Some of them didn't even come back to join them. Those adults said : " They already fulfilled their tasks".

Suddenly, the door was smashed open. He gaped at the men with gas maskers on. They let out a hearty laugh as they smoked the whole building. The children immediately dropped to their knees, coughing uncontrollably. He was still standing, but his eyes were already blurry, and nearly incapable to stay conscious.

" Go!" One of his friends grabbed a man's feet.

" If you can escape, we'll cover for you!"

" Run! If one of us can live, it's you!"

Kiba sobbed and quickly ran to escape those men. His strength was dissipating fast, but he had to continue running. For his friends. For the sake of who had let him live, he must take revenge for them. But, his strength could only take him so far. He slumped to the snow and surrendered to the venom running inside his blood.

" And that's when I took him as my servant. I didn't want his talent wasted on holy swords, it's a shame!" Rias ended.

" So that's why he was filled with burning thirst of revenge when he fought Irina…" Kaito muttered.

" Well, we'll leave that for tomorrow. Now…" She reached her buttons and started undressing casually in that very room. Kaito turned back with a shade of red on his face. Her uniform fell to the floor, followed by her skirt. Kaito tried to stop before the rating turn to M immediately. She looked at him weirdly, then burst to a fit of giggles.

" Kaito-kun, I always sleep naked"

He twitched his eyes at the sudden revelation. Rias stopped her laugh and faced him with a wide smile. She walked to him, to the point where distance was nearly none. Before he could pull back, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him even closer.

" Hmm~ Is the great Kaito-kun wavering in front of a woman?"

" A well endowed woman with so little fabric on her body will certainly make me scared. Even more so, if she's a devil" He retorted and pushed her back

" Take better care of yourself, will you? A woman's body is not something that can be showed to some random guy like me" He turned back. She pouted and continued undressing, albeit with a blush on her face.

" That's because you're not some random guy…" She whispered to herself.

He went out of the room, leaving barely dressed Rias alone. He walked downstairs, and made some milk tea for two. He went back upstairs and saw Rias sitting on his bed holding her knees with only her underwear.

" What are you doing?" He put the tray of tea on his desk and sat on his personal chair. She didn't even look at him.

" Ne, Kaito. Am I attractive?" Her voice was muffled.

" Why are you asking that?" He tilted his head in confusion.

" You're always denying my advances, you push me back gently, no matter how I come to you. It's strange for me, you know? Usually, people come to me, not me coming to them."

{You're too dense for your own goo, partner}

[I have to agree. He's a tough cookie]

Ignoring them, he stood and walked to her silently. He tapped her hair lightly and spoke with unreadable tone.

" If you're not attractive, I won't be so troubled."

" Eh?" She lifted her head

" Like I said, I'm also a man. Which means looking at you will make me nervous and that's an indisputable fact. I'm not very good with females, for your information." He patted her head in gentle motion, easing her mind greatly.

" Hey, Kaito. I'm home~, huh?" Raynare flew in from the window

She glanced at them and rubbed her eyes a bit, checking if she was creaming or not. She snapped back to reality and quickly marched to him with a sickly sweet expression on her face. She hugged him, pulling him from Rias' grasp, and used a German supplex to throw him from the second floor.

" Kaito!" Rias ran to the window and saw Kaito rubbing his head in pain. He gave her a thumb up, and prepared to jump up. She turned to Raynare with a pout on her face and a red sphere on her hand.

" How dare you do that to Kaito, fallen!"

" I did it to make sure you won't get close to him, pervert princess! Who'd go around hugging him naked so easily, anyway?"

" Take this!" She threw her sphere of destruction.

Raynare dodged and formed a purple light spear. She threw it and singed Rias' hair a bit. Rias growled, which was very unladylike of her.

Kaito already came up and sat on his bed, looking at those two girls fighting for dominance. Kuroka came out of his dresser, meowed and jumped to his lap.

" Pretty scary, huh? Kuroka" He caressed her fur, getting a pleased purr from her.

" You stupid spoiled princess!"

" Stupid? I've got high scores, I'll have you know"

" Hah! Nothing compared to mine!"

" Yeah, prove it then!" Rias shouted and picked up her phone.

And that's how Raynare was enrolled to Kuoh

* * *

 **Read, Rate, and Review please**


	13. Excalibur and Truth

**I guess I've been out for about a month, I guess? Well, the school gave exams, exams, and exams like a machinegun and I just couldn't find the time to write. I've got a brief break, so why not? Okay, here's chapter 13!**

* * *

Highschool DxD is certainly not mine.

Going to school was quite a hassle today, since Raynare and Rias argued all the way from his house to school. About Raynare was an idiotic crow or Rias being a brainless whore with oversized breasts.

" C'mon, girls. Could you please stop arguing for a bit?"

Not that he really minded their bickering, but the stares from people around them were really getting under his skin. Stares would make him tingle, no matter who it's from. The girls paid him no mind, so he just had to withstand it for a little longer.

Kiba stopped coming to school since yesterday. Maybe he was so focused on searching for Excaliburs and killing their wielders, he had no time to waste for school.

Later…

Issei walked around in frustration. Despite hating the ikemen for his popularity with women, he couldn't just say 'oh, yeah. He's killed by Kokabiel' and go on his way. He was part of Gremory peerage, after all. He'd already been like that since the end of class, til now, he couldn't regain his composure yet. The other members didn't look very good, too. Kiba's absence must've effected them a lot more than they expected. Rias and Akeno had this grim look on their face, Koneko lost her appetite, Asia didn't smile, and Issei was silent and biting his finger.

" Let's go out for a while, Issei"

Kaito tapped his friend's shoulder and dragged him out of the room without much retaliation. They walked out of the room and entered a class, preventing anyone from overhearing this problem.

" Hey, Kaito. Let's save that pretty boy"

" You do know that he doesn't want to be saved before slicing all Excaliburs to pieces, right?"

" But…"

" Agreed. I'll join too"

Koneko peeked from outside, her white hair standing out. Maybe she was agitated with Kiba leaving so suddenly, too. They walked together to discuss their plan and stopped by the cafeteria, A perfect place for Koneko to get her daily sugar diet, consisting 3 smoothies, and an extra large serving of anmitsu dessert. As she wolfed down her sweets, they all talked about how to relief Kiba's hatred and force him to go back, if necessary.

" Maybe, if we can give him just one sword…"

" That's possible. The sense of relief from destroying one might be able to dissipate her anger and thirst for revenge, even for a second. Then, we can pull him back"

" But, where can we find even one of them?"

" Simple"

Koneko's arm stretched back, grabbing Saji from behind her. She pulled him to her side with two fingers and forced him sitting beside her.

" Oh, Saji. Mind helping us for a bit?"

After a brief explanation, Saji made an 'X' mark with his arms.

" NO! Absolutely NOT! Your master is strict and nice, all right. But MY master is strict and strict! I can't imagine what she'll do to me if I get involved."

" Well, hear the whole story first, will ya?"

Kaito explained Kiba's story wholly, and Saji listened, albeit a bit unwillingly. But, after the genocide part, he eagerly stood up and shook his hand with renewed vigor. He even had stars inside his eyes.

" Gladly, gladly, Nakashima. To hell with the consequences, I'll help you even if it's the last thing I do!"

" I'm Kurayama, though"

And thus, a team to hunt the Excalibur was born.

* * *

They started to roam the streets, looking for two suspicious persons in white robes. Normally, combat nuns would be a challenge to find, but apparently the exorcist duo was quite different compared to others.

" Please give your mercy to the servants of God…"

" May your kindness be repaid in Heavens…"

Two of them were standing on the streets, deliberately trying to raise money from people. Did the church not give them any money as living expense? No, maybe it was quite true considering they went on a suicide mission. But, still, they couldn't possibly do that, could they?

" _If they dared to send out their beacons on a suicide mission just to retrieve some swords, I swear I'm gonna wipe the church out of existence. Consider it payback for all they'd done in the past month."_

Kaito silently made a dangerous promise. Seriously, sending two inexperienced holy sword wielders on a suicide mission was just wrong. And that wasn't an empty threat. At his full power, he could wipe entire life from the earth single-handedly. Just because he chose not to do so this time didn't mean he couldn't do it.

" Honestly, this is why I hate getting sent to some heretic land…"

" Be patient Xenovia…This must be a trial God sent for us"

They approached them and took them to a family restaurant nearby. Immediately after the food arrived, they chomped it all in a few seconds. It was like the food disappeared to a black hole inside their mouths.

" Delish! It's very delicious!"

" This is it…The taste of my homeland!"

They both slurped ramen, udon, gyouza, and even chicken legs without pause. Bowls of soup had fallen victim to their endless appetite. Finally, after 10 bowls of ramen and 5 glasses of lemon tea for each of them, they stopped.

" This is the end of the world…we've sold our souls to the devils"

Xenovia slumped to her chair. Irina herself pulled up her cross and started praying and caused some sever headache for all the devils within 2 meters radius from her.

" Sorry. Reflex."

Kaito coughed and gained everyone's attention.

" So, did you get sent here without living money?"

" No, we actually got quite much from the HQ"

Irina satisfied his curiosity quickly. He drank his lemonade and tried to start the reason why they had spent so much money to feed these broke exorcists.

Xenovia slammed the cup to the table with serious atmosphere around her. It was like she was considering whether to pull out Excalibur Destruction and hack them for being devil or not. She couldn't because they treated her, though. Kaito leaned forward and touched her cheek with his palm. Zecrow's voice boomed in her mind quickly after.

{Greetings, exorcist. Let's skip the pleasantries, I want to give you an interesting offer}

" What is that?"

She wondered who was talking inside her mind through Kaito's hand. She spoke in her mind warily.

" Who are you?"

{ I'm this boy's sacred gear. While he has quite the talent for negotiation, I'm afraid he's not good because things in the past. About that, how do you think about forming an alliance?}

" Alliance?"

{Yes. In return, give us one sword. Then, I guarantee your success for this mission. You can even stay and relax, and get the sword sent to you, but maybe you can't do that, considering you need a battle report}

She turned to Kaito who put away his hand and backed away. Irina leaned to her and she whispered about what Zecrow talked about.

" You're pretty calm, considering you just talked to him"

Kaito commented.

" About that alliance, what proof do you have about being able to best Kokabiel and guarantee our success?"

{He managed to beat you easily once?}

" …true"

She slumped down, remembering her bitter defeat in his hands. Irina put one finger on her chin, possibly assuming her thinking pose. Xenovia suddenly sneered and laughed, as if mocking the ones standing in front of her.

" And you think beating me once would be enough to defeat Kokabiel, with power like that, he'll stomp you flat in two seconds!"

" Eh?" A voice leaked out of Issei's mouth

" It was a good laugh. Let's go, Irina, we can't accept help from these heretics. As payment for the food, Sekiryuutei, the Hakuryuukou has already awakened"

In an instant, the sky blacked out, along with all lights in the city. Eerie breeze carrying aura of death came around and instilled fear in human and devils' hearts indiscriminately. The supreme power of this magnitude managed to bend logic to its will. It was noon, yet it was dark. Sun hid its face from life.

{What did you say?}

" Oh, man…"

Kaito sighed, his back of hand glowing dark purple. A dragonic voice audible only to Xenovia boomed across the café.

{My partner and me have given you an offer politely. It's your duty to at least refuse with the same courtesy we offered. And yet, you mocked us. Didn't the church tell you to respect other people, especially the ones you don't know?}

His voice was disembodied and rough, plus containing unimaginable rage. Kaito's eyes unintentionally became gold with sclera as its pupil. He tried to cover them with his hands, but his body strayed from his control.

" Zecrow, quit it!"

{Not yet. Partner. If you can't get angry for yourself, I'll do it in your place. I'll teach them some respect}

The moment those two golden orbs came to view, both exorcists gasped in shock and fear. Their composure was completely broken.

{Listen well, brats. Right now I'm no more than a mere fragment of spirits, but I still possess enough power to destroy you both like bugs.}

" STOP IT!"

Kaito punched the gem on his palm and the glow diminished. He sighed as the world returned to normal.

" You're grounded, Zecrow. I told you not to go out like that!"

{She's pissed me off}

{ This overpowered spirit energy...how nostalgic}

" Ddraig?"

{The same energy that made both me and Alnio kneel without any effort. Is that you, Zecrow?}

{ Ooh...hey, Ddraig. I was just scolding this girl here}

{ I wouldn't make him angry if I were you, girl}

" Which happens every 3 seconds! Well, Xenovia-san. I'm sorry about that. One advice for you, this guy here is the progenitor of all dragons, so his pride might very well be progenitor, too. Dragons hate things like monarchies, and see everyone as equal. They respect anyone and everyone, preferably with enough strength to prove themselves to them."

Xenovia and Irina were still in shock for Zecrow's display of power earlier. Well, not everyone could change the climate of a whole city on a whim. They straightened themselves and sighed tiredly.

" But still, we can't accept any help from devils…"

{Refusing tone, yes, that's better.}

" Shh, shut up, old bag. By the way, I'm no devil. And Issei here is part dragon. Did the church tell you to avoid dragon's help?"

" No…but…"

Irina talked carefully, not wanting to anger the primal beast inside him again. Kaito shook his head and relaxed.

" Calm down. Zecrow and I are two different people. He won't open up without given time. Just relax, say what you want"

She inhaled and calmed her own heart. She looked at him with curiosity in her eyes, then switched to Issei, and back to him again.

" What are you?"

He laughed freely. Her eyebrows went upwards, her mouth slowly forming an obvious pout.

" What's so funny?"

" No, It's just…Wow. The first question after ten years, it's that? Very funny"

" It's quite rational considering Issei get possessed by the Red Dragon Emperor and you breaking Excalibur like some kind of toy"

" Makes sense. Okay, at least I'm no devil. You can be sure of that"

" Then?"

" You can say…I'm the human's supernatural representative. One of them, at least"

" Ooh, so you're an exorcist?"

" Far from it. Anyway, is it a deal? Will you cooperate?"

Xenovia was already recovering from her shock and sat with a more dignified position. She straightened up her body and coughed.

" We accept. Gaining help from two dragons will be beneficial for this mission."

" Xenovia!"

" I hate to say this, but I was too naïve. If what he said is true, then the success rate of this mission is less than 10%."

" But, isn't it our desire to lay down our life for God?"

" True, but I prefer staying alive to be able to serve him longer than dying like a martyr here in some faraway land. My belief is flexible. I can change it to suit my needs."

Her retort sealed Irina's words shut. She extended her hand towards Kaito, albeit with a bit of worry. He accepted and shook it firmly.

" Looking forward to working with you, Xenovia, Irina"

Thus, the team had been completed.

* * *

They separated into two teams. Team one, Kiba, Issei, Saji, and Koneko. Team two, Xenovia, Irina, and Kaito. On Kiba's proposal, team one went to an abandoned factory, while team two went the other way.

" Isn't this the place we fought stray last time?"

" Yes"

They even wore long robes made for priests. Talk about irony, devils wearing priest's robes so casually. Kiba still couldn't laugh, though.

" YO~YO~YO~. Devil rangers came to play again? I've been bored with only priests to kill, and look! Now I can cut you, right? With this baby here, Excalibur Rapidly- _chaan_ "

A very annoying guy popped out without warning. He swiped down from the roof and landed right in front of them. Kiba had a tick mark on his head and swung his sword with unbelievable speed. Freed somersaulted, avoiding that strike easily. He landed on the roof. All of them cast aside their robes and prepared for battle.

" Boosted Gear, standby!"

{BOOST!}

Issei started accumulating his power with boosts from Ddraig. Freed grinned like his smile could cut his face in two. Kiba followed suit, grinning with effort. He lunged to the mad exorcist, sword in hand. But, the priest's skills surprised him. He single-handedly dodged every single one of his attacks with the speed of Excalibur Rapidly granted.

" HAHA~ LOOOLL. There's no way that puny sword of yours can compete with my Excalibur-chan"

The thought of being inferior to the sword he loathed so much incited his rage on a fiery whirl. He kicked his speed up and started using multiple swords at once. Freed avoided all attacks, occasionally breaking his swords to make things exciting.

" AHAHA! This is fun, pretty boy! Come on!"

" Tch!"

Kiba dodged a wild slash from Freed, but he already appeared behind him, ready to strike from behind. Looking at that, Saji summoned his gear and sent out a purple line. It latched to Freed's leg and started leeching energy from him.

" Kiba!"

Issei jumped, or more precisely was thrown, straight to Kiba. He touched his shoulder, sending out red energy to him.

{Transfer!}

Kiba was enveloped in green and red energy, his body overflowing excessive aura of the Heavenly Dragon. Issei landed on his butt and winced due to the stinging on his poorly treated butt.

" Well, I have no choice but use it"

Kiba raised his sword high and stabbed it to the ground while kneeling. A dozen of swords raced its way like a spike trail to Freed. The latter cursed something that would make the fic's rating turn 'M', but it was something about Kiba X Issei homo couple. Kiba's eyes lit in anger, and the swords' speed doubled.

" F**k you, crazy exorcist!"

Issei also joined the fray after spouting some disgraceful lines, shoving his middle finger straight to the mad priest. The latter himself was still busy trying to cut Saji's line and staying alive without being impaled by Kiba's assault. An old man with fat belly wearing a priest robe walked out from a pillar.

" What a tasteless scene… dragon trait gears are very troublesome, to think even Excalibur can't cut it without proper skills. Freed, concentrate your power to the sword! Use the 'elements'!"

" Valper Galilei!"

Kiba shouted in pure rage. Yes, this man is Valper Galilei, nicknamed Genocide Archbishop. He was excommunicated several years ago for inhuman experiments, but it looked like the church couldn't dispose of him properly.

" Like this? Yeehaww!"

The blade glowed white for a second, and Saji's line was severed. Freed licked his sword and shattered each and every one of swords Kiba sent at him.

" Freed, we're retreating"

" Aye, Boss. Wa-"

*SMASH!*

Freed got a full course of raw fist to his face. He flew backwards in a comical way, with Kaito pulling his fist back. Even though he got socked hard by him, Freed was still grinning. From his swollen cheeks, he revealed something inside his mouth.

" Idiot"

*FLASH!*

A blinding light was emitted from whatever Freed had for lunch earlier. When the light dissipated, both of them were already nowhere to be seen. Irina and Xenovia came shortly later and followed their trails with Kiba. Before the remaining crew managed to breathe in relief, two different colored magic circles shone in front of them, showing Rias and Sona with both angered and amused expression on their faces.

" K-Kaichou…"

Saji fell backwards due to fear. Sona was feared as the law abiding Student Council President with over strict personality. Any delinquents in Kuoh would eventually answer to her, and although she was a looker, her harsh words dispelled any happiness they may get in an instant. Saji's description of 'strict and strict' fit her well. A magic circle appeared on her and she dragged Saji with his collar like a master getting his dog punished.

On the other hand, Issei and Koneko had a heartwarming situation with their master. Rias hugged them spontaneously.

" Thank Maou you're both aright"

" _Ohoho~ I'm very lucky to have buchou as a King~"_

Issei's thoughts were gone right after Rias released him from her hug. She towered high, red magic circle spinning on her palm. She wore a dark smile befitting her title as a devil and giggled sadistically.

" Ara, Issei. You didn't expect to go out unharmed after disobeying me?"

Her words were excessively sweet, but beyond that, containing certain pain and death to this generation's Sekiryuutei. Kaito watched in amusement as Saji was getting her 100 butt slaps from his beloved master, enhanced with magic. He also looked at Issei's terrified face with a laugh, considering his position, Rias or Sona couldn't do anything like that to him. He laughed the two of them off until he felt a poke on his cheek.

" Kaito-kunn~"

A cold chill passed his neck. A voice he knew very well.

" Hey, Raynare"

He greeted the black-haired fallen angel carefully, not wanting to end up like his two fallen comrades. She crossed her hands below her impressive bust and tilted her head.

" Where were you? I couldn't find you in school, and just after you agreed to help me in training…"

The last part's volume was surprisingly low. Luckily for him, she hadn't pulled sadistic measures like certain red haired girl. He was happy to see her, though.

" Could you explain what's going on? I have a feeling you got caught in something dangerous lately."

Her eyebrows twitched. He coughed and filled her on about what had been happening over past week. She nodded in understanding and sighed. She flashed him a weak smile, typical of her for the time he had been with her.

" So, you're going to fight my former boss"

" Yeah"

" You sure? Every time an angel gains a pair of wings, their power increases significantly. For a 6 winged angel, a 4 winged one is like a child. That is the difference."

" No worries, Ray. Even if he's got a thousand wings, I'll smash him and return alive, probably"

She sighed and turned away.

" You'd better"

* * *

She walked home without even saying goodbye. Rias and the others were casting a magic circle to transport to Kuoh Academy immediately. Finally, the circle glowed, and they disappeared in a loud flash. A scene bloomed in front of him as the light faded from his eyes. They were transported to forest of Kuoh.

" What's that?"

They all raced to the lump on the wet ground. As they closed the distance, the lump showed its form. It was Irina, lying on the ground with her skimpy battle clothes tattered and tainted with blood from everywhere. It looked like she had a few broken ribs stabbing her lungs, so her breathing was barely stable. Asia started healing her, but there was no time. Sona's queen, Tsubaki Shinra carried her and went away to heal her on Sitri's private medical technologies in their main house. Kaito had a dark look on his face and walked to the main building with immense speed, followed by the devils.

" Now, my adorable servants, this is the most dangerous fight we've ever faced, but we will survive, and continue attending this academy!"

Rias shouted and her whole peerage cheered in return. Their morale was high. Rias did a good job on raising their fighting spirit. Kaito remained silent. Issei noticed his unusual behavior and tapped on his shoulder, encouraging him to come with them.

It was decided earlier that Sona Sitri's peerage would erect a barrier and hopefully contain any collateral damage from going outside. It would also serve as a lock to contain Kokabiel inside and prevent him from wrecking any place other than the school itself, while Issei and Kaito would become spearheads with their respective power-type abilities. Asia would stay back and heal everyone in Issei and Koneko's protection. While Issei's charging his boosts, Rias and Akeno would buy time or take Kokabiel down, if possible. That was the plan Rias and Sona made, although its abilities were still unknown.

" KOKABIEL! You dared to trespass my territory and do as you please. In the name of Maou, I , no we will destroy you!"

A daring challenge was declared. A tall man with grey skin, red eyes, and pointed ears rubbed his chin with amused expression on his face. Kaito glared at him and sneaked to the forest without any of them knowing.

" Ohh? Crimson Satan's little sister, eh? What beautiful crimson shade, it makes me want to puke. You look just like your brother."

" Insulting our leader like that, and hurting my beloved servants on top of that…you deserve nothing short than death"

Either she wanted to look cool or she really had a plan that could work, Kokabiel was still sitting on his golden throne. He snapped his finger, and a light spear big enough to rival an elephant appeared on top of his hand. He smirked and launched it to the nearest building. Soon after, the gym was no more.

" Boring. Well, can't be helped. Let's see you play with my pets"

He sent another light spear down, but this time, it formed a magic circle with ominous design on it. Fire erupted from it, and several three-headed dogs sprang out from the circle. Issei gasped in surprise, noticing the creature's shape from a story book.

" Guard dog of hell, Cerberus! He brought them here?"

Rias snapped out of her shock quicker than Issei and flew high with her wings unfurled. Akeno changed her clothes to that of a priestess and followed suit.

" Issei, charge up! After you're ready, transfer to me or Akeno!"

" Yes, Buchou! Bossted Gear, standby mode!"

{BOOST!}

There were several Cerberus, but the ones capable of hurting them right now are only Akeno and Rias. She pouted silently.

" _Just where is Kaito?"_

The fight hadn't been going for an hour, but Rias' peerage was already on defensive. Issei and Koneko both drew the dogs' attention away from Asia, while Issei couldn't do anything drastic without resetting his gear.

" Senpai!"

Koneko launched a sharp punch to the dog's solar plexus, knocking it slightly upwards. She grabbed its snout and slammed her knee to his mouth, forcing it to swallow the fire it wanted to spew.

*BOOM!*

The fire exploded in its mouth, giving it a spicy feel on the tongue. Otherwise, it was unharmed. Issei dodged a bite from another head and used his mobility to flee from another head's sharp teeth. Looks like his training had paid off sweetly. Issei ran away, directing the dog's attention to him and getting it away from Asia.

" Come on, mutts. Eat the dragon's butt!"

Issei incited their rage even further, resulting in a comedic situation where a high school male being chased by a fire-breathing three headed dogs. If the situation were less serious, Koneko would've laughed without reservations. However, she was also fending off the dog's relentless assaults, so she couldn't. It would be nice if she could, though.

Koneko rode one of them and made it submit with forceful methods, such as slamming its face to the ground. But, from the rear, another one was coming in full force. Accepting her fate, she closed her eyes. But, suddenly, the head was severed. It didn't fall to the ground, but instead, burst to a column of flames. Xenovia swooped in for the save, slicing the oversized pet down to size with her sword.

" Sorry we're late!"

Kiba's appearance was marked with a dozen of swords impaling a Cerberus' feet, effectively keeping it in place. Irina came running, ready to guard Asia.

" Buchou! I've finished boosting!"

" Nice, Issei. Transfer it to both Akeno and me!"

Meanwhile…

Since the battle started, Kaito had been lurking behind a tree, analyzing the magic ritual Valper was using to merge the Excaliburs. He was facing backwards, giving him enough space to tinker with the magic.

" What a complicated magic…as expected of an Archbishop. It's a fully automatic spell, with no off switch. But, what if the automatic sequence is turned to manual? I wonder…"

He crawled back and forced his own spirit energy to usurp the Earth-shattering spell. The spell itself was hard to cast and hard to dispel, as it used Kokabiel's energy as fuel, and when it's finished, all the residue power will become a major atomic bomb made of holy energy. He just had to figure out a way to either reverse or stop the flow of magic, and give the guy a nice joker box.

" Hold out, guys…"

* * *

" Lightning, come here!"

Akeno shouted, and a wave of pale lightning surged forward, straight to an immobilized Cerberus. Rias sent out a magic amplifier circle, increasing the lightning's power by tenfold instantly. Akeno's lightning turned the dog into a pile of smoking ash. Rias also sent out a big, dragon-shaped wave of destruction to the Fallen Cadre.

" Take this, Kokabiel!"

He simply put up his hand and resisted its power without much effort. He gathered his strength and threw back Rias' blow to the ground, creating a new meteor site in Kuoh. She fell down due to exhaustion and picked up by Akeno.

" It's finished"

Valper's face contorted abnormally like a maniac. The swords glowed brightly as they fused into one golden sword. And with that, the spell to decimate Kuoh had also been done as well. A large yellow circle appeared on the ground, covering the whole school.

" In 20 minutes, everything in this city will be leveled to the ground. The only way to stop it is to defeat Kokabiel."

" Good. FREED!"

" Aye, boss?"

" Use that sword and give the final show. Kill them all with that fused sword."

" Roger, boss. Ahh~ Isn't wielding this sword, like, the best thing ever? And I get to cut shitty devils like you, too. Aahhh~ awesome"

He picked up the sword and started licking it.

" Gross"

Kiba commented. He and Xenovia engaged him in two on one combat, but even so, they were quickly overpowered with the new sword. Kiba's swords broke like paper toy against the fused Excalibur, and Xenovia's sword was already in critical condition from her previous fight. She couldn't swing it around carelessly without breaking it. On the other hand, Freed was happily running around and dodging their strikes with the power of Excalibur Rapidly. As he parried Xenovia's swing, several clones started attacking her in full speed.

" Haha~ Excalibur Nightmare!"

His cones attacked her simultaneously and she had to struggle to barely keep them from killing her. Suddenly, the sword's shape changed to a whip, and had an increased range. He swung it from above, demolishing the ground in front of him.

" A bit of Transparency!"

The sword became invisible, making it harder to even parry it, as Xenovia relied on her eyes more than her senses. After that onslaught, both Kiba and Xenovia fell to the ground, exhausted all their strength. Valper laughed gleefully watching those two get beat up by Freed and his newest creation.

" Since I was little, I've been so infatuated with holy swords. However, when I was deemed incompatible to holy swords, I was devastated. But, I didn't give up. I spent my whole life searching for holy swords, and conducting experiments to those who can wield them, and creating those with artificial compatibility to them. And thanks to you, I succeeded."

" What are you talking about? It failed, so you massacred all my comrades!"

Kiba shouted in frustration. Valper simply sneered at him.

" It succeeded, ignorant fool. I realized that I just needed to extract their holy elements from their body, and plant it on the more compatible ones"

Kiba fell to his knees after hearing that revelation. He stabbed his sword on the ground, shocked down to his core.

" T-Then, my friends…"

Ignoring him, Valper continued his ranting. He raised both of his hands and plucked out a blue crystal from his pocket.

" Then, I can condense it like this. Look, this is the final result"

He raised his masterpiece and showed it to Kiba. He sneered and threw it to his face. Kiba clutched the crystal like it was his very lifeline.

" Everyone…is in here…"

The crystal shone brightly, and an otherworldly song populated the air, mesmerizing everyone on the battlefield. Issei started to weep and rubbed his eyes, Asia somehow started praying, and Koneko's eyes watered. A song so beautiful, sung by the spirits accompanying Kiba, circling him and giving him power and determination to fight.

[It's okay]

[Even though God abandoned us…]

[Even though we have no one…]

Kaito looked at this heartwarming scene and smiled to his purified comrade, cured by the fallen spirits from the crystal. He stood up and raised his hands, casting a spell.

" How rare…Spirits singing the sacred song…"

[For our hearts…]

[Shall always be one]

" Shall always be one"

Both Kiba and the spirits finished the song. The devil Knight picked up his sword and stood firmly, eyes full of renewed will. He pointed his sword at Valper.

" I shall become the bone of my sword"

He raised his sword high

" For my comrades who allowed me to stand here today, and for my King who gave me a new life, I shall fight. Give me strength, enough to protect everyone and cleanse this filth from thi world!"

[[SWORD BIRTH!]]

A European double-edged silver sword appeared, bathed with warm blue glow. The spirits assimilated themselves to him, granting him holy power.

{The knight has peaked}

" Peaked?"

{ When someone's desire go against the system of this world. The sacred gear will evolve, granting the user incredible power. Let's see. You might call it…}

{ BALANCE BREAKER!}

Kiba shouted and the sword stabilized. Red runes appeared on the blade, along with a blue gem on its hit. Kiba pointed it to the Archbishop who faltered in his glare.

" You, who have sinned to the point of no return, shall taste the steel of my blade, [[Sword of Betrayer]]!"

" FREED!"

" Aye, boss!"

Freed leaped to in front of him.

" Ooh~ Then, I'll get serious as well"

Xenovia extended her hand and started chanting.

" _Saint Basil, Saint Dionysus, and Holy Mary, in your holy name, I shall release thee!"_

She pulled out a chained sword from a separate dimension. The moment her finger touched it, the chain shattered, releasing the sword.

" DURANDAL!"

A blue broadsword was pulled out from the crack in dimension. It had a long arm guard and golden hilt. It was the type of sword that needed great strength to control. Xenovia cast aside her Excalibur and held the sword with both hands. She grinned and charged at Freed.

" Impossible! My research hasn't gone to Durandal yet, how could you wield it?!"

" Simple really. Unlike Irina and that devil boy, I'm a natural born user, specifically trained to wield Durandal."

She stopped in front of Kiba.

" Knight of Gremory, if the truce still counts, want to break that sword together?"

" I thought the sword was off limits"

" It's no holy sword. In that priest's hands, it's just some heretic weapon"

She raised Durandal high, while Kiba sped up to match Freed's velocity. They clashed in mid-air, producing sparks everywhere. He kicked Freed straight to Xenovia, and with a single swing, she shattered the Excalibur.

" Meh, just some scrap. It can't fight Durandal, after all"

She stabbed her sword to the ground with bored expression. Kiba continued his assault, cutting both Freed and the remains of Excalibur with his sword. Both demonic and holy aura oozed out from the sword, enough to surpass Excalibur's aura.

" You see that, everyone? Our feelings reached!"

[True]

" Eh?"

Kiba didn't expect his muttering to be answered. He turned around, only to see his fallen comrades standing behind him. Kaito walked to him with a smile.

" I asked them if they wanted to stay, and they agreed, so I sealed their soul together with you. Good for you, Mr. Knight"

Kiba touched their ethereal body and passed, leaving a cold feeling on his hand. His eyes watered again, and this time, his friends crawled with him, wiping his tears.

[Shh…I told you we'll be together]

" Yeah…thanks a lot, Kaito"

" No probs, man. Just talk to them with telepathy, okay?"

He waved his hand and walked to Kokabiel. He had a smug expression on his face.

" Hey, big shot. All your pawns are down, shouldn't come here and finish us all or something? That fat guy can't fight, anyway."

He pointed at Valper. Kokabiel sneered and paid him no mind. He looked at Rias, who was all beat up from her previous attempts to take down the Cadre. Valper himself was muttering about how dark and light can never match and his mumbles were really starting to get on their nerves. Kokabiel pointed at Rias.

" You've got unique taste in servants, Gremory princess! Red Dragon Emperor, nekomata, exiled nun, survivor of the Holy Sword Project, and Barakiel's daughter!"

Akeno had a surprised expression on her face. Her miko attire was tattered here and there, giving sight of her nice breast size. Issei was caught red handed immediately. Instead of worrying that, she rose up and shot upwards.

" DON'T LUMP ME IN THE SAME PLACE AS THAT BASTARD!"

She yelled in rage and sent out a forked lightning from her fingers. Kokabiel swatted it away like flies and shot a holy sphere at her.

" No!"

Kaito leaped up and materialized a katana in his hand. In a single motion, he sliced the energy ball in two, letting Issei carry Akeno back to the ground. They both landed nicely, although Issei had better loot in his arms.

" Stand down, everyone."

Kaito's words washed through all them, as if a king had used his authority to force his command on the troops. Strangely enough, they followed him.

" I'll deal with this damn bastard"

* * *

 **Well, that ends this chapter. Rate and Review, please. I want to know what you guys think. Ciao!**


	14. The Lord's Awakening and A Devil's Plan

**AJ : Well, since Koneko neglected senjutsu, her senses are kinda dull, for a nekoshou, that is. Not to mention she's a SS criminal, she has some experiences of being tracked 's not fixed, but I plan to let her meet Koneko after peace conference.**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine**

* * *

Kaito walked into the frame, hair shadowing his face. Behind his dark façade, the hunter's true face had finally shown its true form. Dark and unfeeling kind of eyes, coupled with face devoid of any emotions. Even Kokabiel couldn't just stay relaxed after seeing that.

" I've put up for so long, but it's worth the work. Your plan is dead, big shot"

" WHA- You think you can defeat me in twenty minutes? Not even Azazel can do that!"

His laugh brought shivers to his neck. Meanwhile, Valper had finally stood up. He raised both hands, as if finding a great discovery on his own. He fell to the ground again while laughing like a maniac.

" That's it! There's no way light and dark can fuse together, unless the keeper of balance was no more! That means, not only the Four Maous, but God-"

A light spear disintegrated his body without a trace. Kokabiel let out a smirk as the light spear disappeared from Valper's remains. He even laughed.

" Good, good job Valper. You found out, at last."

" WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, KOKABIEL?!"

Isssei bellowed out of frustration. Kaito also gritted his teeth because he knew what horrible words Kokabiel would say after this. The Angel of Stars, Kokabiel, the one who was noted in the bible, had revealed the truth in front of them.

" He's right. Not only the four Maous, but God was also dead because of Great War"

Asia's eyes became hollow. Tears leaked out as she cried her heart out because of Kokabiel's statement. Even Xenovia was standing wobbly. Kokabiel laughed happily, as if looking at the followers of God in despair was giving him the greatest entertainment in the world. Asia fell to the ground unconscious.

" ASIA!"

Issei went and helped Asia sit. His anger was apparent in his eyes. He stood up and pointed his gear at Kokabiel.

" DAMN YOU, FREAKIN' CROW!"

His shout reverberated through the school grounds, as if Ddraig himself had shouted. Kaito also fixed his stance and turned the sharp side of his sword forward, aiming for a kill. Then, Xenovia also fell to the ground kneeling.

" Xenovia!"

Issei ran to help her, however, she didn't receive his help and stood up on her own. She even had tears swelling in her eyes. She looked at Asia and shakily giggled.

" I guess….The shock is too much, even for me. That just means her faith is true, even more than mine. I apologize, red dragon emperor, Kurayama Kaito. I was…wrong"

" Stand up"

Kaito grabbed her left arm and raised her up forcibly. She limped weakly, as her mind was in a state of shock. Issei grabbed her and started complaining. Kaito looked at both of them with great intensity in his eyes, pointing at the smirking Cadre.

" MOURN LATER! WE HAVE TO KILL HIM FIRST!"

His shout brought Xenovia back to his feet, like a king raising the morale of his soldiers. Xenovia stood up quickly and raised her sword. Everyone else had also recovered and readied themselves to strike.

" I'll be first"

He leaped upwards, sheathing his sword at subsonic speed. Then, in a proper distance from Kokabiel, he unsheathed his sword again in even faster motion. The fallen couldn't react fast enough. His sword sliced through his grey skin, drawing first blood. A big, shallow wound gushed out blood from his torso. Kokabie cursed and brought out his wings. Weirdly enough, the wings were as hard as iron. Its sharp tips lashed out at Kaito, who barely parried every single one of them. From behind him, two magical attacks were unleashed, one sphere of utter destruction and a yellow forked lightning. He kicked the angel, evading the incoming attacks. Kokabiel received full brunt of those attacks.

" Yosh!"

Both Rias and Akeno were celebrating too early. When the smokes cleared, Kokabiel was still flying with their attacks suspended in each of his hands. He grinned and smashed them together, creating an orb of pure energy. He launched it abruptly, not caring of who'd get hit at all. Kaito immediately dove down and got Rias out of the way, while Issei grabbed Akeno and dashed away as well. The blast took out a whole chunk out of the ground, creating a crater about 15 meters in diameter.

" Kaito…finally. What took you so long?"

" My bad. I finished a bit later than I expected. That said, sleep now. I'm gonna blast him back to where he came from."

" Finish him"

" Gladly."

He laid Rias down near a tree and walked to Kokabiel. His smirk denied his obvious killing intent. However, the best thing about bloodlust is, even if it's obvious, you fear it, anyway. Living beings had instincts to fear danger, and he radiated just that. Even Kokabiel sweated under such pressure, and found himself excited beyond belief. He laughed maniacally and descended to the ground.

" INTERESTING! So, you fight for the devils, human boy. Very well! Let me see what you're made of."

He spread his arms wide, intending to light up the sparks of fight they had left.

" I'm the worst enemy of devils! If you don't take my head here, you'll waste a chance to get hailed as a hero in Underworld!"

Kaito used [[Accel]] and sped up to his face. Using the momentum, he kicked him in the jaw, sending him upwards with a major crack on it. Kokabiel simply cracked it and seemed okay. He materialized a light sword on both hands and sliced downwards. Kaito nimbly dodged them and from behind him, Kiba and Xenovia lunged forward.

" We'll back you up, Kurayama-kun!"

" Don't worry about us!"

Both Durandal and Sword of Betrayer slammed themselves against Kokabiel's swords. Albeit they were only made of energy, but the density of the swords could repel both knights' sword without a hitch. Kokabiel laughed as he fought the two swordsmen on their own field of expertise.

" The previous wielders of Durandal had absolute strength! There's no way you have that!"

He slammed his fist to Xenovia's ribs. She fell back, clutching her midsection hardly. Kiba, now alone, was engaging a sword fight with Kokabiel.

" Take this!"

He swung the sword on his left hand, parried with a single sword.

" Then, this!"

He materialized another sword on the other hand and sliced again. Kokabiel also parried it with his other sword.

" Guh, I'm not done yet!"

He materialized a sword in his mouth, awkwardly slashing to Kokabiel's face. The weirdness of that attack caught him off guard, resulting a slight wound on his cheek. His face contorted in anger and he kicked Kiba away.

" DIE!"

He sent out a ball of light straight to him. Xenovia jumped in and used Durandal to shield both of them from that attack. With a defiant cry, she slashed the ball in half. Kaito came out, sword unsheathed.

" IT'S USELESS!"

Kokabiel parried his attack easily and his sword flew out of his hand. However, he simply used his fist to send a strike right at Kokabiel's heart.

" Kuh!"

" Kotoha style : Dragon Fist!"

Kokabiel got launched backwards like a speeding rocket. With [[accel]], Kaito appeared behind him, restraining his body from moving. Kaito's face was unreadable, but he could sense his bloodlust from his back.

" You know, Kokabiel? Actually, I tweaked the magic Valper was working on earlier. He used your energy to power his spell, and the residue will be released as a destructive spell, right? Well, guess what. I _reversed_ the order."

Kokabiel's eyes widened in fear.

" In 1 minute, all the energy inside will blast you back to smithereens. Let's see…this spell has the power to decimate a whole town, you said? Then, it should be enough to annihilate both you and me, since I have to keep you from doing anything funny."

Kokabiel knew fear. It was when he faced the Yondai Maous on battle, or when he faced a large army all alone, but this was on a different level. This boy was prepared to take him together with him to hell. The magic circle on his heart shone brightly, and Kaito's laugh leaked out.

" I'll see you in hell, Cadre-san"

He feared that the last thing he'd see would be this boy's calm smile as he embraced certain death along with him.

" KAITO!"

Rias shouted, knowing what would happen if Kaito continued holding Kokabiel down and stayed close to him. Nevertheless, it was already too late for him to escape. She could only watch as the sky was dyed pale yellow. After a few minutes, something fell down from the sky. She unfurled her wings, intending to catch what remained of him. In her arms, a heavily burnt Kaito was seen. His clothes were black like charcoal, burnt to extreme point.

" ASIA, HEAL HIM!"

She frantically flew to Asia, practically begging her to heal him. She nodded and started using [[Twilight Healing]] on him, but his wounds were already closing up with immense speed. The cuts were closed, the burns cooled down, and his bruises were already mended.

" What's happening?"

Kaito was still unconscious, alright, but his injuries were already healed to the point of nonexistent. It was like his wounds were forcefully rewound to before it even happened. Kaito's eyes fluttered open, only to see flaming Kokabiel racing to both him and Rias.

" You're too dangerous to be let alive! I'll kill you and start this war all over again, human boy! Be grateful!"

In his hands, two gigantic light spears were formed. He was ready to impale him and would've done so, had someone not stopped it in his tracks.

" Geez~ You got reckless, Kaito"

The one blocking his view was a literal angel with 4 black wings on her back wearing his shirt and hotpants. His former girlfriend, Raynare a.k.a Amano Yuuma. Kokabiel's face looked both shocked and happy in the same time.

" You're a fallen, too! Quick, kill that upstart behind you!"

Raynare scoffed at her former boss.

" Unfortunately, boss. This guy you called upstart is my lover."

Her bold statement caused Kokabiel to jump back, but using the elements of surprise, she formed a purple light spear and pierced his side. He used his iron wings to chuck it out, but the hit couldn't be reversed. He fell back while clutching his bleeding side. Raynare stepped forward while forming two light spears. Her training had paid off. She was a four winged angel, boosting her powers considerably.

" I trained, and trained…so I can stand beside him. But in the end, his powers were great enough to match you. Luckily, his suicide strike made me able to stand on the same stage as you."

Her wings tore through the clothes, and she soared high into the sky. Kokabiel followed suit, and flew to the same height as her. He had seen fallen angels with lesser wings cower in front of him, knowing that his power over them was absolute. But this girl…he was sure she was a member of the squadron dispatched there not too long ago. So she should be aware of their difference in power, but she was still fighting without fear.

" Why are you fighting me? Fight him! He's our enemy!"

He shouted at her, but she shook off that warning by throwing a light spear. It grazed his cheeks. Roaring in rage, Kokabiel dove fast, but she dodged it elegantly.

" I've been training for aerial combat, so I can match even you in skies."

Her aerial skills were superb, matching Kokabiel with skills, despite her odds in terms of speed and amount of wings. Kokabiel yelled in rage, the rage when a fly annoys you and dodges your racket every time you swing.

" Come back! Why do you choose such inferior human over your entire race's glory?! You can even return to Grigori and join this war!"

" Sorry"

She stabbed her spear to his shoulder, drawing even more blood from him. Kaito looked hopelessly at her, as his body was still in no condition to fight.

" YOU'D RATHER WITH A MONGREL LIKE HIM THAN BRINGING GLORY YOUR FACTION?! SUCH BLASPHEMY!"

His face contorted with anger, however, Raynare didn't budge. Giving up on recruiting her, Kokabiel raised his light spear, aiming for a clean decapitation. She ducked and kicked his groin head on, making him grunt.

" I'd rather being with the one I love than serving a faction that sees me as some disposable tool. At least, he sees me as WHO I am, not WHAT I am."

She retorted, emphasizing the 'WHAT' clearly. Kaito's tears started to swell up in his eyes. Her words contained nothing but truth. His body pulsed and he welcomed the feeling without any hesitation.

" It's time…"

Meanwhile, Kokabiel managed to grab Raynare's throat.

" This is a technique I learned from the Great War. It's meant to be used by leaders. Behold, Vampire art : Sunder!"

Their bodies started to glow red and gold, as Kokabiel sapped her vitality off her and exchanged his wounds with her. Her eyes rolled back, enduring such unimaginable pain when Kokabiel reversed his conditions to normal. When he finally released her, she fell limp to the ground. The Cadre still flew high, with renewed body.

" HAHAHA! In the end, that traitor is still useful, after all! For my sacrifice, that is!"

Kaito's body was bathed in warm white glow, as spirit energy flowed to the real world, and closed in to him. He stood up and grabbed Raynare' body, laying her beside Rias.

" Vampire art, eh? I can't believe you did that to your subordinate. No, that was the condition, wasn't it?"

" YES! As long as I live, no matter how many of my pawns die as replacement, the war will still continue. Look, human. Your filthy bitch defied me, but she still served her purpose! Because of you, she's DEAD."

" Dead? She is far stronger than to succumb to death so easily."

One of the chains that usually surrounded him broke off, and his body was set in white flames. His eyes turned gold with black sclera, filled with hate.

" Because of her, I'm finally FREE!"

He raised both arms, and the flames renewed him. His powers skyrocketed, and several tails made of flames burst forth. Kokabiel's eyes widened to this familiar scene. That terrifying power, those golden eyes…

" You…Are you a hunter?!"

His voice was more like a squeak than shout. Kaito's body was still wreathed in flames, until he released a hearty laugh. His hair grew long enough to cover his nape. It also turned silver, leaving black strands on the side, giving off silvery black kind of color. In his hand, a sheathed katana was formed, along with a red haori with an ancient Japanese glyph on the back, spelled 'Death'. He extended his hand to Rias.

" Hey, Rias. Give me your hair tie."

She obliged, and he grabbed it quickly. He tied his long hair, so that it wouldn't obstruct the battle. He smirked and glanced at Kokabiel with his golden eyes. His eyes had become twin golden orb with both mesmerizing and terrifying qualities. Those orbs bore a hole through him, as if killing him from inside out.

" GRAA!"

Kokabiel summoned a Cerberus which opened all its jaws, ready to tear him to pieces. His smirk disappeared.

" Out of the way, doggie"

One slash.

With a single slash, he sliced through the Cerberus from torso to spine. It disintegrated to ash even before it could touch the ground. His tails were white with black patterns on them and wreathed in blue fire. His speed was out of this world. The moment they blinked, the Cerberus had already been killed.

" I-Impossible…my pet, the guard dog of hell…"

Kaito let out a laugh again, now directed at Kokabiel.

" There's only one Cerberus in this world, and the last time I met him, he was far bigger and more ferocious than your cute puppies."

" Ka-Kaito?"

Raynare called weakly from Rias' side.

" Sorry, Raynare. I didn't expect him to survive that blast. To think he had those powers…I'll let you scold me as much as you want later. But, sit tight and rest now."

" Heh. Then, I'm off~"

She fell to Rias' grasp. She was already snoring lightly the moment she grabbed her and checked her breathing. She gave him a thumb up.

" Thank goodness…"

He sighed in relief.

" After I'm done with you, I'll kill that bitch as well. Then, you can make out in death!"

Kokabiel lunged at him with immense speed. But, before he could reach him, his tails smacked him off the air, plunging him face first to the ground. His hair overshadowed his face, but his eyes' golden gleam was visible.

" You called her 'bitch'?"

His voice was full of malice. Kokabiel, who had just climbed out from 6 meters deep, butterfly-shaped crater, shuddered.

" She's the one person capable of touching my heart and releasing one of my seals, and you called her a bitch? "

His hands wrote something on the air, forming a glyph. The glyph glowed and spewed white flames everywhere, burning everything in front of him. As Kokabiel struggled to remove those flames, two tails hit his chest and sent him flying to a building. He crashed through the building and stopped after cracking the barrier Sona's peerage made.

" Wow~ You survived. And I put a bit of power inside, too. As expected of one of Fallen's higher ups."

He slowly stood up, barely conscious because of that one blow. Kaito waltzed to him, slowly unsheathing his sword. It was beautifully crafted, with slight curve, showing its intimidating bronze gleam.

" H-How could you…"

" Present time, Kokabiel. Before now, I used barely 5% of my strength to oppose you. And Raynare unlocked another 15%, so I'm at 20% of my power."

" J-Just 5%? But still…"

" Spirits are enigmas, and so are hunters. My power wasn't multiplied, you know?"

Out of fear, he soared high to the sky, but he had nowhere to run.

" It's squared"

The statement made him realize, how stupid it was to challenge an enraged hunter. But, it was already too late. He clapped his hands, and the barrier shattered.

" Look Kokabiel. You want war? I'll give you one."

All around him, various monsters and humans alike surrounded him without any crack to escape. Demons, samurais, some men with hammers, maces, ninjas, and even other creatures from dreams all appeared before him. Some of them rallied near Kaito, one of them being a bronze haired girl with black eyes and blue pupils.

" Master. I've come as you asked"

" Ohh~ Eva. Thanks. Did you enjoy being with my guys there?"

" Yes. It was exquisite."

One of the demons with a massive club behind him laughed loudly and lowered his height to match Kaito.

" She's one hell of a girl, waka. Where did you find her?"

" Come on, Oni. You're over exaggerating. But she's one hell of a girl, all right."

He stepped forward and floated to the same height as Kokabiel. The latter materialized a light spear and threw it to him, but two shadows jumped to their master and sliced the light spear in two.

" We won't let you harm him"

" No way we'd let you attack him"

Two ninjas with different weapons stood in front of him. They were really standing on the air, without using wings or spell. One with a chain-scythe, another had a large shuriken. Kaito tapped them both on the shoulder.

" Shura, Ashara, stand down."

They obliged and descended. He put his hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

" Greetings, Fallen Angel Kokabiel. I am Kurayama Kaito, hunter, and the Supreme Commander of Spirits around here. If you want a war, I'm sure these guys will be more than adequate to fight you."

" S-Supreme Commander, and a hunter, on top of that?!"

He remembered the horror he faced during Great War. While it was true that Fallen Angels withdrew first from the war, but there was someone who greatly influenced the flow of that war. The word Armageddon derived from the destruction caused by the war, but the man cleaved through forces and stopped war after shedding blood of Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels indiscriminately. He unleashed Two Heavenly Dragon against them, forcing the Three Factions to unite for the first time. The man left nothing but the word 'hunter'. Since then, that word became a legend, passed down in generations of Three Factions. And this guy in front of him was the very nightmare of him, along with every faction in the world.

" Oh…I didn't expect you to defeat him."

A white light descended to them, revealing a person clad in white dragonic armor. He laughed and looked at the hunter.

" Mind giving me that crow? And that priest there, too. Azazel told me to bring them to him. You know, the big guy?"

He joked. Kaito smiled and punched Kokabiel once, incapacitating him, and threw him to the armored guy. He also picked up Freed and kicked him to him.

" Thanks. By the way, you're strong. I'm looking forward to fight you."

{Ignoring me, White One?}

{Hey, Ddraig. Your bloodlust is pretty weak}

{You too. I guess we both found interesting hosts}

Albion sighed.

{True. I guess fighting for eons has really exhausted us. But, hey, meeting like this isn't very bad, right?}

{ Yeah. But, next time, show me a good fight}

{ With that fragile host of yours? Please, Vali will trample him like a bug}

" OI! Quit insulting me!" Issei shouted at both dragons.

{Unfortunately, that's true. He needs more training before facing you in battle}

{Until next time, Ddraig}

{Yeah. Albion}

{ Looks like you've learned your lesson, bsks twins}

Zecrow joined the conversation. The armored guy turned to him and crossed his arms.

" You're a dragon possessor, too? Which one?"

" Zecrow, the Celestial Dragon of Boundaries. Well, long story."

" Looks like you're gonna be an interesting opponent. What did Kokabiel call you? Hunter? Well, whatever. Anyway, I'm off"

He flew away without a word. A few minutes later, Sir Zechs and his army came to help, but all had been resolved. He didn't look shocked seeing the destroyed form of Kuoh. He only sighed about the damage repair cost, and went to Rias.

" Could you give me a thorough report later, Rias?"

She nodded. Then, the Crimson Satan turned to Kaito and stopped right in front of him. Some of his spirits immediately shielded him. Kaito didn't push them back, he simply grabbed their shoulders.

" Who are you?

One of them demanded. But, Sir Zechs ignored him and focused on the hunter. He measured his power, and found nothing.

" _Strange…my instincts are screaming danger, but his energy is weak…"_

" Crimson Satan, Sir Zechs Lucifer. What do you want with me?"

He was alert, like he always does. For these last years, he never let his guard down for even a second. Now was no different. He closed up and examined him.

" Kurayama Kaito, is it? Could you meet me at my office later?"

His tails moved around cautiously, showing his agitation. This random guy just popped up and demanded things from him out of the blue.

" Okay…I don't mind."

He looked a bit relieved, and smiled at him.

" How about this weekend? It might be cramped, but should we have tea there?"

" O-kaay."

" Then, right now."

He cast a red circle with Lucifer's symbol on it. Both of them immediately went away in a flash, straight to his palace in Underworld. To be specific, they were sent to Lucifer's office, with a very wide space on.

" Ooh~ Nice office."

" If only you could see the horror of being a Satan…"

He pointed at the corner of his office where some human-sized stacks of paper were placed neatly. It looked like the bane of every leader fell on his shoulders also. He walked to his table and sat comfortably.

" Well, anyway. I invited you here…

" Forcefully, though"

" Yup, a bit. I wanted to have a chat with you."

Kaito's expression changed again. He smiled formally, and sat down as well.

" What do you want, Lucifer?"

His voice became serious. The devils' big boss carefree attitude also melted in an instant. Right now, it's a showdown between leaders of Factions.

" Let me get this straight. Will you become my sister's piece?"

His face contorted in pure bewilderment. He held his sides after bursting out laughing like an insane person.

" Oh, man…you're crazy, Maou"

Sir Zechs's eyebrows twitched. Sure, this person had beaten Kokabiel easily. But, he was a Maou! The devil king himself! How dare he talk to him like that. The maou's became angered and his thoughts ran wild. He had wanted to use this boy's love to Rias as a catalyst to make a new weapon for Underworld, for the good of devils. This boy had an undeniable power, but as long as he's a part of society, even the greatest of strength will fall in front of him.

" Really? I thought it was quite sensible."

He tried to be serious, but Kaito's expression made him unable to focus. It was as if him being here lightened the mood and changed it to anything but serious. Before he noticed, he'd already been sucked to the enemy's pace. Kaito's grin was apparent.

" Rias, huh? She's pretty inexperienced if you asked me. Why do you want me to stay with her as her piece?"

It was no hypnosis. Just a simple atmosphere manipulation. By reading and manipulating the feelings nearby, he could make even a Maou spill the beans. His smile, tempered to bring ease to people's hearts. His words, carefully chosen to make sure the conversation went his way. That was one of his hidden qualities that few knew.

" So, Sir Zechs. Sorry, but, I'll have to decline. I'm not really interested in being someone's _servant_ "

He placed a bit of trust in Rias, at the very least, she'd take care of him like her other pieces, but power does make humans crazy, and he believed devils were no different. Especially, this crazy Maou here. He expected the lord of all spirits to bow to a devil? Ridiculous.

" But, you know…"

He lashed out his tails. Suddenly, 5 devils descended from the roof, five from the walls. He grinned and took them all out in seconds. Even the fastest one was outrun by the tails' sheer velocity and strength. Sir Zechs looked at one of the perpetrator, finding a beautiful woman in her twenties with silver hair staring back, clothes tattered.

" GRAYFIA!"

" Shh.."

Kaito poked his neck. In an instant, he felt a katana stabbed through his throat. He gasped and rubbed his neck, finding it still intact and unharmed. Kaito had used his bloodlust to make Sir Zechs think he was brutally murdered.

" If you try to bring me in again with this kind of method, I'll be sure to leave no survivor next time."

His voice was cold and hoarse. The playful mood was erased and changed to a cold and scary atmosphere. He saw his peerage members grunting a little. They had some bruises, but nothing too serious. What needed to be taken care of was their pride. Some stranger just wiped the floor with all of them in a split second. They even had the surprise effect, too. They thought they could forcefully turn him into a devil, and brainwash him from there, but they regretted their stupid decision. This human was a literal monster!

"…Yes"

Was all they could say to him. Not only they had to lay prone in front of him, but also let him out without scratch! Oh, the humility. But, he struck their balance cord, so they couldn't even stand up properly for a while. He left after casting a portal, leaving them like that.

* * *

 **Taraa~ There goes chapter 14. I can't upload for a while after this, exams and all, but, I'll upload again at the end of this month...probably. Well, anyway, rate and review, you guys!**


	15. Truth Behind Those Words

**Exams are done, holiday is coming. Wow, a long journey, isn't it? A whole year for a full week of exams. Well, that's that, and let's start chapter 15!**

Highschool DxD is not mine

* * *

Sirzechs Lucifer sat on his work chair, fully tired after that little bout he pulled on a certain guy. And alas, he and his whole peerage got clocked like flies. If only they retained the slightest bit of wound, he could turn Rias and her peerage against him, but no. It was like they were hit by a truck made of cotton. It launched them alright, but it was soft, so no one got even a bruise from his onslaught.

" If that's how powerful he is, I really need to confirm quickly…"

He touched the spot Kaito poked earlier. He had lived for hundreds of years, but it was the first time he had perceived such dark and cold bloodlust. It was more than enough to make a maou believe he got killed brutally. He couldn't stop sweating when he remembered the horror that young lad possessed. He recalled the documents his ancestors left behind about the Great War. And that one book he was told not to open. Perhaps it's time to grasp that forbidden knowledge for defeating that threat.

" This is it…Lost War, Lucifer's personal diary."

He opened the book. The book itself was magical. It could record someone's personal experience by the lattice structure of their magical energy. And he could see it as translated language or video record. Pretty cool item he had.

Armageddon, 666 eons ago…

A battlefield painted red with blood and gore unfolded in front of him. From the east, the angels were ready with their army and creatures, with Archangel Michael leading them. From the west, The devils were ready with the 4 Maous to lead them. And from the south, Fallen Angels were preparing to fight with Azazel, Kokabiel, and Shemsaza ready. Tension was nearly visible. Each sides was more than willing to annihilate others.

" Oh~? Looks like you all are more than prepared enough…"

An eerie voice cooed out of nowhere. Still, that instilled fear to their hearts. Just what kind of person would barge in to a fight of 3 great factions? The intruder was a tall, skinny man with skin above bones. He wielded a giant broadsword on his shoulder and was moderately armored. But what captivated them were those eyes, filled with bloodlust and intelligent.

As in armies, only the superiors were allowed to talk. All three factions leaders were anxious to see which one would attack, talk, or even ignore the new guy. He raised his head and brushed his grey hair aside, revealing his pale and sickly face, but still handsome.

" Since you're all prepared, I have some presents for you…"

From behind him, two dragons came out, fangs and claws bared. They were busy fighting against each other, but just the sight was astonishing. The dragons were feared by Gods, enough to attain the title 'Heavenly Dragons'. All armies fell into chaos. The dragons fought without a care of the world. They raked their massive claws against each other, breathed columns of flames against anyone on their way. Although they didn't target the 3 factions' army, but the lucky hits was more than damaging to their numbers. Soon enough, the leaders knew that if those dragons rampaged, their numbers would diminish so much that holding a war would be rather trivial. They immediately held a meeting. The very first time they held a meeting in eons.

" DAMN! If we let those monstrosities run rampant, the devils will be flattened in no time at all!"

Satan cursed in ancient devil language. In his right, Lucifer, and in his left, Beezebub. Meanwhile, Azazel, Kokabiel, and Shemsaza also sat on the same table, and Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel on the other side.

" Well, yeah. We don't care about you devils, but many of my men died already!"

Then, Kokabiel and the maous started to bicker, until both Azazel and Michael slammed their fists on the table, smashing it on spot.

" Silence! Enough of this stupid bickering!"

" It's not just your army. ALL of us are suffering because of those dragons…And not to mention, that man…"

Several days ago, that mysterious man massacred a whole bunch of soldiers by himself indiscriminately before they could go to war. Right now, the battleground itself was under his surveillance. Anyone who entered the ground would be 'cleansed' immediately.

"….It can't be helped."

" True"

" Agreed."

The leaders came to a mutual understanding…

" Let's form an alliance."

…That they could never hope to defeat two rampaging monsters and their provoker without joining the available forces.

After they signed the alliance contract, they quickly rallied their remaining men and marched to the battlefield. Shortly after, The Heavenly Dragons were put down and cut up to little pieces to ensure death. And using His remaining energy, God sealed those dragons in the so-called Sacred Gear He had invented. That was the beginning of [[Boosted Gear]] and [[Divine Dividing]]. The weapons which carried the very nightmare of Three Factions. And the one behind them remained a legend until this day.

" So that's it…The only document about hunters…"

The Crimson Lucifer sat back on his chair, tired of processing this new information. So, that was the true legend about that anomaly. And the same guy who just owned him and his peerage was in the same league as a legendary figure.

" Oh Maou…And to think I still need to arrange the peace conference."

He fell on his arms, tired of being played around by this unreasonably shitty world. Perhaps being a devil king wasn't as good as his friend had suggested.

* * *

It was already night since he had thrashed around that meddlesome Devil King. Really, what kind of person would greet his guest by trying to kill him so wholeheartedly anyway? That person sure had blown up his common sense, or rather, he needed some consolation on the regarding matter.

Meanwhile, Rias, Raynare, and the whole ORC just couldn't stop asking him about it. Either that, or rubbing his tails while muttering 'soft'. Well, those tails were indeed soft, but as shown before, they could be hardened to the point of an iron bat with extreme flexibility. More like unique iron whip, actually.

" By the way, Kaito. Aren't you a bit different than before?"

Rias spoke to him. Others stopped looking at his tails and moved to his face. He sighed and his tails slipped back to his body, and relaxed.

" It's a long story. You're all in?"

They looked at each other before nodding to him.

" Alright. It began many years ago."

The others gulped.

" Truth be told, I'm kinda special, even for a hunter. I'm a hunter equipped with the first gear, [[Reality Gear]] with Zecrow inside. Hunters with sacred gears inside them are very rare, maybe one in a million. And why I became a hunter was because I hated this world."

He smirked.

" This world was rotten to the core. That's what I always thought. I saw people betray, kill, trick, and being deceived all because of money, including my parents."

" Parents?!"

Rias exclaimed. She had been staying in his house lately, but she hadn't noticed his house's conditions yet. Well, considering how he put a sound barrier on his door, it couldn't be helped. She saw his household as a rather normal one.

" Yes. I couldn't understand why people would be so frantic to gather what humans created for their own leisure. And money became a monster, an unstoppable one. With that, humans gain power over others, enforcing the domination that they actually hated upon themselves. And I hated myself even more, because I knew when I grew up, I'd be in the same stage as them, battling for money to survive, perhaps by stepping over countless lives."

" And I was kinda a loner, you see. I couldn't be a socialist, no matter how hard I try. It's an effect from my family, who confined me to study through pre-elementary. With that, I grew to not hate the world, but the ones inhabiting it. So, I awakened it."

" And before the accident 1 year ago, I was known as 'Phantom Blade'. I'm sure you all heard what that guy in flowers said about me."

He finished. The others were still shocked, but they were rather curious. That information was not sufficient. They wanted to know more. He got up and headed to the door.

" Sorry, guys. I want to sleep for a bit. And I'll be taking Raynare. Bye."

She slowly crawled up to his back and latched to him. She wrapped her arms on his neck and pressed herself against him. She spared a glance and a smug face to her, getting grits and curses from the redhead. Raynare then buried her face to his back again, harvesting even more grits and curses from her.

" _Uh, I feel some crazy bloodlust from behind my back…"_

He silently complained. But, he still left the room and marched back to his home. As they walked through a dark alley, he felt her on his ears.

" Kaito…Do you trust those devils there?"

" Why so sudden?"

He could feel her plump assets pressing to his back. She was a fallen angel, after all. She could be very damn seductive had she wanted to. Due to his inexperience with woman, he took critical damage plus stun effects from that one move.

" That was a scam, wasn't it?"

Her words gained some points on him. He walked to below his room's window and jumped, reaching it easily. He then put her limp body on his bed and let her rest. He pulled his chair and sat beside her.

" What made you think that?"

Her mouth formed a small smile and she opened her eyes. After taking a nasty blow from Kokabiel and having her life force sucked out, she was still very weak. But, she managed to answer his question.

" Idiot. You think I don't know?"

She faced him and placed her hand on his.

" You can never gain this much power with half-assed reasons like that."

He laughed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. He put down his hand and stared at her. There was no doubt about it. This woman was true to her heart.

" Fine… Do you know that I had a little sister one year younger than me?"

" No…I thought you were the only child."

" 6 years ago…I was still cultivating my powers. Well, you know how 9 year old kid thinks. I thought I could be some kind of hero with this."

He laughed off his pitiful past self.

" You see, my parents never had expectations to me. For them, I was just a bonus, an irrelevant plus to this family. My sister had always been the one they loved. They never cared about me, no different from now, though."

" Hm-hm"

…Was her sole reply. He continued his story.

" You know, I was actually trying to get my parents to like me, or at least notice me. I cleaned the whole house, got good scores in school. I even got 5th rank on national mock exam in the whole Japan that time. But, you know, they just shooed me off for disturbing my little sister."

" What did your parents love about your sister, anyway?"

His expression turned sour, then cold again.

" They loved her outgoing personality. Her ability to draw people in like a magnet was really enticing."

She widened her eyes.

" I can't really blame them. You see, from pre-school, I had been a cold and distant kid, or at least, they thought of me like that. My powers allowed me to understand what most couldn't, to see the invisible, and to have above average intelligent. But, because of that, I had no experience whatsoever about socializing."

" While my sister, well, she was a true genius. She wasn't really blessed with intelligent or talent like me, but she could fit in quickly and naturally. She was everyone's candy, and my parents' pride."

She didn't show any sight of discomfort.

" Because I had no one to talk to, I could hear and see what most people couldn't. Emotions, expression, true self, and I found myself disgusted by the fake things people claim as friendship and love. But, I was stupid. I still desired them."

" I had no friends, no one I could vent my stress to. The boy you see right now literally has 13 years pent up stress inside my brain, and that made my mind stronger than most people. Plus, I've forged my spirit power with that much free time."

" And a year after that, she was involved in a car crash. She died, and that was a major blow to my parents."

" My family had never been so harmonic to begin with, but her death caused a major crack on our relationship. My mother became more temperamental, and my father vented his stress on me and alcohol. Mom was really stressed out. I did everything in my power to keep this family from breaking apart, including throwing myself in."

He undid his clothes and showed his back to her. She gasped in shock. It was horrible. His back was adorned with scratches and scars. It seemed his healing factor managed to heal them quickly, but they still left marks on his skin. She traced her hands on them.

" Belt whips, scissors, and pens…They throw things in their hands to me, while shouting that I should be useful and work, or to make money, over and over again. What I said back then was not a total lie."

" Holy God…" She muttered.

" Well, after I entered middle school, things cooled up a bit, but I despised my parents. Things happened, and my powers got sealed. You broke the first one."

He pulled up the blanket and covered her body with it. 3 minutes later, she was soundly sleeping. After that, he walked to his table and placed his head there, resting for a while.

He opened his eyes, only to meet Kuroka's golden cat eyes. And wow, she's really cute. He noticed he was on the floor, with her naked on his chest. Barely able to contain himself, he shook her gently, trying to wake her up and clear the misunderstanding.

" Nyaa~ You're awake?"

She rubbed her eyes in a really cute fashion. He tried to push her away while diverting his eyes from her ample bosom, but ended up doing something he really shouldn't.

" Aahhnn~ Kaito-nyan. Do you really want to make kittens now?"

Holy crap. He just landed his hand (unintentionally) one the nekomata's bosom. But, aside from being embarrassed, she looked…delighted? He wanted to pull it away, but she adamantly grabbed his hand and made it stay where it was.

" C'mon, Kuroka! Leave my poor hand out of this!"

He pulled out his hand with a pop and woke Raynare up. She stirred and looked at the clock. She immediately flew to the bathroom and did her usual routine inside, then came out changed. Then, it was Kaito's turn. 10 minutes later, they were both ready to go.

" Kuroka, stay in my dresser, okay? And no leaving my room in your human form!"

" Yeeess~"

She replied and crawled back to his bed in her cat form. Well, she'd take a bath twice a day, so it was okay.

Before they even reached school, he saw something amusing in front of him. There was a very handsome young man with silver hair and black jacket in front of Issei. From the looks of it, he was trying to get some fun out of him. Before he could interfere, two swords were pointed at his neck.

" Don't try anything funny, Hakuryuukou."

Kiba's sword and Xenovia's Durandal were pointed at the dragon's neck. The victim, however, didn't seem to be intimidated. More like, he was amused.

" You know you can't do anything against me, right?"

They lowered their swords. The silver hot guy simply chuckled.

" But, I can."

He was quite shocked to find someone behind him. He didn't act hostile, but his aura showed more than enough killing intent.

" _This guy is far stronger than anyone here combined…"_

" I don't want to see blood first thing in the morning. It leaves bad taste."

Although he was indeed a battle maniac, the Hakuryuukou knew that it was reckless to pick a fight here with him. He trembled in excitement. It was the first time he met someone so powerful after so many years!

" I'll leave. But, you know, we're gonna meet soon. Looking forward to it."

He teleported away from there.

" What's with him?"

Issei commented. Really, he should change his name to Oblivious Dragon Emperor. That guy was going to be his arch rival, and he wasn't concerned at all?! Really, ignorance is bliss.

He went with them to the school, and the whole routine repeated once again.

Okay, not the whole routine.

" Who's that new hottie?"

" A new transfer student? A new prince has arrived!"

All his reaction was…

" Eh?"

He came into the class like usual, sat in the corner like usual, but how come their reaction was very unusual? He was swarmed by an entire flock of girls he never even met in his months in Kuoh. They didn't even pay any attention before, so why-

" Hey, isn't it Kurayama-kun's seat?"

Katase, one of the kendo girls spoke.

" Um, I'm Kurayama Kaito, actually."

All his classmates were shocked, then they laughed. After some laughing, they turned back to him.

" Seriously?"

" I said so."

All the guys in class suddenly turned brutal and lunged at him. Particularly, the pervert trio was really enraged. Matsuda tried to punch him, Issei with his clothesline, while Motohama with a lariat from another side.

" Really?"

He disappeared from their sight, reappearing beside his own chair, at least 3 meters from them. He used both of his loner ability and speed to escape quickly and effectively.

" YOU TRAITOR!"

The guys said with utmost vigor. He twitched his eyebrows in annoyance. Those guys had been giving him cold shoulder all the time since he enrolled. He didn't remember becoming friends with them at all. But, instead of using physical advantage, he decided to use the deadliest invisible weapon all intelligent beings possessed. _Words._

" What? You're all so blind that you didn't notice me? Maybe that's what makes girls hate you, isn't it? You see their body, not their heart. Look, you can't even recognize a male. How can you define a female's beauty like this?"

" What did you say, bastard?!"

" If you just spend one second on thinking how you could be liked instead of eyeing them, you won't even need looks to get a girl. A woman isn't as shallow as that."

All of them shot him a dirty look, but they were unable to retort, since what he said was quite true. Most guys in Kuoh were males that hoped to get girlfriends easily due to low male population there. As a result, they hung their fates over to luck. Such idiocy was the same, whether it was devil or human.

" _If all girls were that shallow, I doubt this world would have less than 5 world wars."_

With just that, he finished the pointless argument the boys forced on him, and sat back on his chair. Gone was the timid and geeky Kaito they all knew, replaced by a silver and black haired confident guy. Or that's what they expected.

" This is bad, this is bad…the heck was I saying dammit! I just screwed my highschool life…"

He muttered. Raynare knew better and slapped his back. She grabbed his hands and dragged him outside.

" I'm borrowing him for a while."

The guys rejoiced, thinking that their goddess was disgusted by his act and decided to deliver punishment for them. And the way she carried herself was seamless as well. They kept their cheering low and laughed silently, cursing the new ikemen.

She went all out and dragged him all across school to the clubroom. He tumbled all across the floor and the stairs, especially the stairs, since it totally hurt his back. She slammed the club door open and threw him to the sofa, shut the door, and walked to him. He was completely oblivious to why she forcefully dragged him here.

" Looks like you screwed up, huh?"

She smirked at him.

" Yeah. I guess…I blew my fuse too quickly these days."

" Don't worry. You have 13 years of accumulated stress, so I can't really fault you. Just blow it when there's no one around, okay? By the way, I don't count. You can bring me anytime."

Man, she's the best. Having her around was worth more than the entire class, no the entire city for him. The townsfolk wouldn't bother with him, after all. He smiled and asked her to sit across him.

" I'm actually thinking, what are those chains on you."

His pupils constricted to slits. She might be someone he could trust, but that didn't mean he would trust her out of the blue. It was just plain honed reflex and instincts made over his past experiences. And her asking about that raised a distinct fear inside him. 'What would she think of me?' or 'would she leave me?' were just basic 'I'm afraid' for him.

Nonetheless, he decided to trust at least one other person, after Akane Shinomiya.

" These chains are…how to put it? My seals."

" Seals? For what?"

His face turned grim. He had nothing but bad experience, and when he recalled them, he just couldn't help but having a sour look on his face.

" My powers…I am a top-class hunter, and I gain my powers faster than normal ones. You can say I'm some kind of a bug in this world's system."

" And?"

" But, I'm still a human. I get bad experiences, things happened. My powers could rampage anytime. You know about the accident here several years ago?"

" That blackout?" She recalled what the spirit blacksmith had told her.

" Thousands of people fell to coma. The whole town was isolated, all connections are cut from the outside. And most of all, there was a total blackout. And it's just a very small portion of my latent energy."

" SMALL?!"

Sure, she could understand that someone with powers enough to play with Kokabiel was no joke, but still. Destroying a city required power, but sealing a city and cutting its outer connections needed much more control.

" In my case, the malice of mine merged with my powers, making it go rampant every time I lose control. If I was in full power, and I exploded here, what would happen?"

His face was grim. She noticed how he usually acted. He always kept himself calm and collected, with a hint of coldness, no matter whom he faced. But, most of all, he wanted to keep everyone away, far from a dangerous creature like him. He had his own circumstances, but the world offered no handicaps. He was brought down by society, and took it all upon himself. It was not his fault, but someone must take the blame. If not him, who would?

" And so, I had my powers sealed. What I usually use is just its leftover. I have 5 seals, Fear, Hatred, Revenge, Despair, and Death. Each has its own characteristics, and I don't really know how to unseal it. To be honest, I had no idea how you broke that Fear seal."

" Kaito…"

*BAM*

" Kaito, my onii-san…Raynare?!" Rias suddenly entered the room.

" Yeah. What does he want?"

Right after he said that, Sir Zechs Lucifer and his peerage entered the room. At least they had enough delicacy not to enter with teleportation. It's tasteless to barge in like that, after all. He had his royal mantle donned with a silver armor. Kaito clicked his tongue in distaste. This demon king just never learns.

" Greetings, hunter."

He spoke casually. He stopped in front of him and smiled. Good step. Now he had to hear his reason before killing him. He returned his greeting and eyed him with his usual cold eyes. Both of them sat, and the silver maid brought tea. He glared at Raynare, considering either shoo her away or just disintegrate her on spot.

" If any of you touch her, say goodbye to your limbs."

His words weren't just empty threat, and they knew it. He had immobilized them in an instant without much effort, and if he so wanted, he could wipe his enemy's whole peerage out in an instant. He was just _that_ strong.

The red haired male chuckled and relaxed. He thought it was one more thing to add as the boy's weakness, but that was not a choice. This boy was not an ordinary warrior, no, he was far from it. He sipped his tea to ease the tension, and voiced his thought.

" Kaito-kun. I want to propose an alliance."

Kaito smirked and thought of it in a second. Surely, an alliance would be nice, but that would mean he had to rally his comrades to the devils' battle, while all they ever wanted was peace and acceptance. He didn't want to drag his spirit comrades to trouble just for an alliance. And that would mean losing his neutrality in the supernatural's world. And allying just himself with them would really spell even more trouble for him. For example, diet and meeting. He'd be a show-off, a sign of weapon the devils had.

" No."

A quick and simple answer, with no room for arguments. The maou was quite taken aback. He thought an alliance proposal would enable him to get a new weapon, but he was wrong. Maybe, just maybe, had this boy read his intentions?

" I'll remain neutral. I'm on my side, Lucifer."

Seriously, this Maou lacked delicacy. His face and air really gave him off. He was just like those damned socialists in school. Acting all high and looking down, then propose an alliance. It was like 'hey, let's be friends!' and two days later, 'Oh, he's good at this, so blah blah yada yada'. So readable. And moreover, he calculated the chance of him getting played like some disposable weapon by how they acted around him. Answer : 100%. There's no way he'd accept such blatant lie, right?

The maou cursed in some ancient devil language silently. He didn't expect a snotty brat with a little power like him would dare to reject his invitation _twice._ But, he saw through him without much effort. This brat wanted to know what kind of profit he could get from this alliance. If they managed to impress him, there might be a chance of success.

" Then, how about a friendly fight?"

" Seriously?" He said with a bored tone. But, his face suddenly brightened up.

" Alright. But after that, I want you to fight me. With your destruction thingy you have. You know, the full transformation?" He smirked.

This kid…he knew about his signature ability! That was supposed to be top secret, mostly because he never had to use it. Just from transforming alone, he could level an entire country from the amount of power he'd radiate. Transforming into that meant becoming a living nuclear reactor with endless supply of uranium ores. It was the reason why he was called the Crimson Satan of Destruction. His power of destruction outclassed all kinds of magic and matter, returning them to nothingness without mercy. And this boy challenged him to use that?!

" Fine…but, after you fight."

" Acceptable. Then, I have your word, Crimson Satan."

They walked out of the room to the empty ground behind the old school building. Soon after that, an old-fashioned samurai walked to in front of him. The silver maid raised her hands high and summoned a pale blue barrier surrounding them. It had enough power to contain a dragon king inside, showing her prowess in magic.

" Sorry for the trouble, kid. I'm Sirzech-sama's knight, well one of the knights anyway."

" I see."

He didn't waste any time and flared his own magic power to half level, shaking the grounds inside the barrier, and making the silver haired maid sweat. The knight chuckled nervously at his display of power. The maid was the queen after all, the infamous 'strongest queen', earning the nick name of 'Silver Haired Queen of Annihilation' To give such person trouble meant challenging one of the best magician the devils had to offer!

" I know you totally outclass me already. So, how about this? We have a pure sword fight. No tricks, no magic."

" You know you're at a total advantage, being a knight, right?"

" Not really, considering you're a swordsman, too." He smirked.

" Point taken. Fine, I'll do it."

" Thanks."

As an answer, he summoned his usual bronze sword. The knight smiled and unsheathed his katana. It was a royally designed katana, with golden trims on its scabbard. Its leather hilt was painted red with hexagon patterns, and the blade was pure silver. On the other hand, Kaito's blade looked like a cheap product, but the blade gleamed menacingly along with its user. Suddenly, the knight appeared in front of him, sword sheathed.

" _Iai!"_

His body reacted instantly. Just before the enemy could swing his sword, he moved forward to mess with his timing, and the slash passed behind him. The knight gasped in surprise, but he was too late. Kaito kneed him in the stomach, sending him to the limit of the barrier. His body collided with a bam and he stood up again.

" You're tough." Kaito commented.

He didn't answer, and dashed forward again. He suddenly blurred and appeared above him. Kaito noticed the bloodlust aiming for his head and ducked, barely dodging its deadly silver edge. He also countered with a wide slash, only to be stopped on its track. But, his smirk was still apparent. Kaito somersaulted, and landed a nasty kick on the enemy's back. This time he didn't stop there. He spun in the air, shortening their distance even more. The ground cracked under pressure as he slashed the sword with absolute strength, pushing the airborne knight to his limit.

The cornered knight continued to block Kaito's fierce slashes, but his technique was one step behind of him. And his position was bad. He had to step on the ground to balance his body, while Kaito was assaulting him to keep him from doing that. This boy could rival him, a samurai trained since Bakumatsu era, and with hundred years of experience, not only in strength and speed, but also in fighting style.

"[[Kotoha style : Flowing Stream]]"

As soon as he muttered those words, the attacks grew heavier. It wasn't just a matter of strength, but continuity. A swordsman must know how to continuously swing their sword effectively without reducing its strength, and each and every one of this boy's strike contained massive power and immense control. It was as if he was fighting a calm river, slowly tiring him with continuous blows.

The knight stabbed him with all his might, but Kaito flicked his wrist, and his sword deflected it with minimal movement. He spun his wrist, putting the sword on the knight's neck. Seeing his defeat, he dropped his sword and raised both hands.

" It's my loss."

He declared his defeat. Strangely enough, he didn't seem mad. It was more like he was happy that someone could challenge him in his expertise, giving him a spark of excitement he lost since he had become one of the best knights.

Kaito smiled and sheathed his sword. He'd always welcome a good fight, and it was his first sword spar after so long.

" But, what's with that style? I've never heard of it."

" It's Kotoha style. It's a fighting style made by my predecessors. They compiled their skills and martial art knowledge into a single, refined style."

" Ooh~ I admit, it's powerful."

The barrier dissipated, revealing the spectators. He smirked at the demon king,

" Now, Sir Zechs Lucifer. Exact your promise"

* * *

 **Rate and Review**


	16. Crimson Lucifer vs The Hunter

**Highschool DxD is not mine.**

* * *

Sir Zechs looked at the youngster and found that he was dead serious about this. The crimson devil walked into the arena and picked up his knight. He carried him on his back and put him on the ground beside Asia.

" Please heal him."

Asia summoned her rings and kneeled beside the knight, green light coming out from her hands.

" Yes!"

He rose up and walked back to his challenger. Kaito made sure he didn't leave any lasting wounds on the knight, but he was a bit too eager to fight. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and smirked.

" Sorry, guess I went a bit overboard there. Must be that kick before."

He shook his head.

" No. You didn't kill him, at least."

They laughed together and returned to the matter in hand.

" I can't unleash my power here. I'll erase Japan off the map, even with Grayfia's barrier." He revealed. Destruction was something that shouldn't be confined, after all, especially by a body of flesh and blood.

" Ooh~ Okay. Then, uh, Grayfia-san. Could you transport us to a space used for Rating Games? There won't be any damage, right?"

" Sir Zechs-sama's power will annihilate that kind of space in an instant. That space isn't indestructible. You sliced one in half yourself."

" It can't be helped…Then, I'm making the barrier."

He thrust his right hand up and shot a blue wisp to the sky. After getting out of sight, it exploded to strings and confined both of them in a jail woven with countless blue strings like a birdcage. He smirked, obviously satisfied by his work. Sir Zechs examined the new barrier, finding no visible flaws in it. He touched one string, and it was carefully woven together with countless other strings, leaving no opening. He also felt his power was siphoned a little by that string he just touched.

" Cool, right? This cage is made by ionized particles. I modeled it after crystal atomic structure so it has no openings, and I'm sure it will be more than a challenge to break. Plus, when it _does_ break…"

" What?"

" You'll have to find out." He evilly smiled, hair shadowing his golden eyes.

Sir Zechs Lucifer simply returned his smile and bathed his body in scarlet energy cloak. His eyes shone red and the ground nearby him started to disintegrate. Even Kaito could feel his powerful aura and couldn't help smiling. This person really was insanely strong! The pressure was really incredible. He also covered his body in pale white glow shaped like flames. He didn't bring out his tails and swords, intending to fight him with only magic power.

" Your magic power is impressive as expected, Kurayama-kun."

Sir Zechs commented, feeling Kaito's energy clashing against his own. Although a bit weaker than his, but it was powerful enough to scare anyone below his level. And to top it all off, his magic could be shaped as whatever he wanted, unlike his magic which was hell-bent on pure annihilation. He raised his hand, forming several red orbs that floated in mid air. He thrust his hand forward and launched all of them in terrifying speed towards him. Before they could touch his skin, Kaito jumped out of the way and electricity sparked on his palm. He shot a forked lightning straight at the crimson devil. It was pure lightning, not like magically generated ones, so its speed was literally lightning-fast. It struck him right in the chest and pushed him back to the barrier.

" Come on! Show me that form already!"

Kaito demanded, eager to see the infamous devil's so-called true form, and the power it contained. He had heard of Sir Zechs Lucifer's way of destroying enemies without leaving even a trace, and his control of said power. It would be exciting to fight someone with that kind of power. He balled his fist and generated a thunder sphere in size of a volley ball.

" Let's see how you take this!"

He threw that ball to the air and jumped, raising his hands above his head.

" SMASH!"

He hit that sphere like a volley spike, sending that ball straight to Sir Zechs. Because of his insane physical strength, that ball flew a _little_ bit faster than he had wanted. But still, it had the expected result. The ball expanded considerably, gaining three times of its original size. Sir Zechs used his forearms to guard, but the force was too much for him to handle. He was knocked back about 5 meters from his position. He cocked his arm back and launched a massive red ball of destruction.

" What power…"

He silently commented and raised his arm. Some white substance crept up to his fist and completely covered it. He used the same fist to catch that massive sphere Sir Zechs shot at him. Power against power, magic versus magic. The sphere finally cracked and dissipated, losing its latent power after being stopped. Sir Zechs looked at him warily.

" _This youngter is not someone I can beat without getting serious!"_

With that simple thought, he resolved to get through this no matter what. He started to stabilize his breathing and circulate magic all across his body. His body was glowing red in process, covering him in crimson light. Kaito widened his eyes in surprise. His magic readings totally rocketed up like crazy! Red smokes erupted from the ground, swirling menacingly all around the red headed devil. This power was the reason he was titled 'super devil', this was the reason of him being a maou!

" This ridiculous amount of power…" Kaito commented.

It was a fact that he possessed the same kind of power as Rias, but in terms of control and sheer force…

"…Is befitting of Crimson Satan, as I thought."

…He completely overpowered her. As of now, he was the very reincarnation of destruction. Clad in blood red energy covering his whole body, he altered his body to that of Power of Destruction. By doing that, he completely grasped the aspect of destruction single-handedly. His eyes were light red, and surrounding him was red haze that annihilated everything around him, including dust and any other impurities in the air.

" HAHAHA! This is worth it! Sir Zechs Lucifer, you really deserve your title!"

" …Shut up and fight already!"

He disappeared in a burst of red mist. Something blurred, and he was suddenly in front of him with his fist retracted. He launched a full-powered fist against him, and Kaito guarded by raising both arms as a shield. But, even so, he was clearly outmatched as he was thrown back with a surprised look on his face, and looked at his shivering bruised arm.

" That attack was no joke!"

He grinned widely and laughed as sparks of electricity jumped from his body. Lightning coursed through his body, giving him renewed power and speed. Sir Zechs magic maybe overpowered, but he had technique and if worst came to shove, he still had his spirit powers and _that_.

He didn't want to use it, though.

" Lightning!"

Several magic circles appeared and surrounded him in an instant. He thrust his hand and several millions of volts worth of lightning spewed out from them. Sir Zechs simply swatted them like flies until he shot several spheres at them, disintegrating the magic coding itself.

" Human magic, is it? Nice and speedy, but too vulnerable to destroy."

Kaito looked at the disintegrated magic circles and chuckled excitedly. It was the first time someone didn't get zapped to cinders by that move in years. Sure, he faced some strong opponents once in a while, but a few lasted more than a few minutes against him in full throttle like this. But, with things looking like this, he had no choice.

" Kurayama Kaito-kun, are you underestimating me?"

Sir Zechs Lucifer suddenly asked, clearly annoyed judging by the look on his face.

" What makes you think that?"

Kaito returned his angry look with a confused one. Sir Zechs didn't undo his true form, but instead, he threw a raging fit by flaying his arms around, destroying the already wrecked battlefield even more.

" In my office last time, the power I felt was much bigger, much fiercer than this! You have the power to end me like a cockroach, but instead, you're playing around like this!"

" Really, now?"

He slipped his hand inside his right pocket, clicking something.

" You said it yourself, you can kill me on a whim!"

He swiped his hand widely, throwing an arc of pure destruction right at his enemy. Kaito back-flipped, dodging the strike perfectly. He landed with a hand on his mouth, muffling a laugh.

" What are you laughing at?!"

" You misunderstood. I can kill you, alright, but defeating you is another story."

His face took a 360 degrees turn, and he tilted his head to side.

" You have to give a little credit to yourself, maou-kun. Your form right now makes your usual form look and feel like a child. And really, you should know the differences between killing and defeating."

He sighed and coughed once.

" For your information, killing is easier, far easier than defeating someone. If I have to say, defeating someone is like overcoming a problem you haven't handled before in a sudden math test."

" And to kill?"

" I'd say it's to erase the problem itself." He put a hand below his chin, sinking in deep thoughts." Maybe by cheating or something?"

Sir Zechs sighed, trying to look like a tired adult. It wasn't really convincing, considering his face was completely covered by thick layer of blood red energy.

" Your sense in death and defeat is really messed up, Kurayama-kun." He commented. " What you just said would cause a total riot in society if said out loud."

" Really?"

Kaito simply laughed it off and assumed his battle stance, followed by Sir Zechs.

" Then, I'll make you have to 'kill' me, Kurayama-kun."

The maou started to gather insane amount of power in his hands that continued expanding. It filled about a quarter of the barrier and went on, until it filled about half of the arena. The barrier cracked under pressure and like Kaito said, even though it was about to fall off, no damage was leaked out at all. Sir Zechs, however, paid no attention and instead concentrated his mind to his hand. He thrust his hands forward, and what came out shocked even the sidelines spectators.

" You must be kidding me…"

He just shot out a dense red comet about a hundred times his size. And the power it contained was more than enough to dwarf all other attacks he had launched so far combined. Kaito reflexively brought out his Sacred Gear, slammed his palm to the incoming assault. The comet slowed down and expended its force to push him back, but it was slowly absorbed to Kaito's gauntlet. It made a long slurping sound and finally completed eating that comet.

"[[Analyze]]"

"[[Synchronized!]]"

The gauntlet glowed red for a while and then returned to its original black color.

" I see…So that's what it is…"

Kaito lowered his head and looked at his gauntlet with a sad look on his face. He then lifted his head, only to see the flabbergasted devil. He pointed at him, obviously straining his throat when he did so.

" What in maou's sake did you do?!"

Kaito chuckled at his reaction and flailed his gauntlet around. Although he looked playful, his expression hadn't changed.

" Scratch that question. What happened to you?"

His light red eyes burned deep to his. At this time, Kaito cursed the pointlessly high perception this siscon maou had, especially when it was used against him. But, then again, he _did_ suck out that red comet earlier, so he deserved to at least know. He already got his payment beforehand, after all.

" Power of Destruction is…a power generated from the will to annihilate, as to say, wrath. This power was originally born from Satan's desire of revenge to those who cast him down, exiling him from this world. With boiling grudge, his powers began to change, from white to red, marking the power which would paint everything God had created and nurtured red with blood without mercy."

" W-What is going on here?!"

He was completely taken aback the moment Kaito started blabbering things. And to make it worse, it wasn't just random things. He talked about his power's origins, something all Maous of several generations had kept secret for a long time.

" My gear's name is Reality Gear. It sounds flashy, but that should be the case when derived from its power, but it's the reverse."

H deactivated his gear and grimly smiled.

" Its name was derived from the curse it'd bring to its wielders. The curse to see everything in the truest way, with no place for imaginations."

" No…It can't be, your gear…"

" Let's stop this idle chit-chat and get on with this fight."

This time, he didn't hold back and released all his magic power AND his spirit energy altogether, pressing the poor Lucifer's energy to nonexistent. Kaito walked in with his lord's haori donned, brimming with power.

" _What the hell?! He's supposed to be a meek kid with nothing except for his being way too overpowered. But, this pressure…It's like he's a tyrant!"_

His thoughts were spot on. He usually had his mask on to conceal his true feelings, fearing of further rejection of society. But, it was 3 years ago. That info was way too outdated to be used and he should know that.

" Hey, Lucifer."

He created a beautifully created katana made of bronze, his usual one, and unsheathed it.

" You said you wanted me to 'kill' you, right?"

It gleamed menacingly with the sun's last stroke of light.

" Then, I will gladly do so."

He raised his katana and pulled his right leg back. The katana was leveled on his eye in a thrusting stance, while the other hand was being moved according to his position. His golden eyes were nothing short of deadly, too. Sir Zechs felt like he would've been killed a thousand times over had looks been capable of killing.

" Here I come."

The next thing happening was strange. For Sir Zechs, at least. He could see him moving at him. His speed hadn't changed much and it was still at the level he could react to. But, he couldn't seem to do so. It was as if this boy in front of him had deactivated his superbly honed instincts without him knowing and used it to his advantage.

" [[Kotoha style, Secret Art: Hidden Leaf]]"

He felt a massive killing intent trying to slit his throat and he forced himself to jump back. But, because it was forced, it was like he was jumping while trying to refrain himself from doing that. The result was obvious. He landed on his feet, albeit a bit awkwardly. He back-flipped a few times and stopped after gaining considerable distance from this horror.

" This fight is taking too long. How about we wrap this up soon with one last clash? Yours and mine?"

" Very well."

Kaito raised both of his hands high and started accumulating energy. White energy cloaked his hands, and expanded even further, shaping an energy sword, big enough to reach the end of the barrier and pierce its roof. Sir Zechs also created a massive sphere of destruction and held it firmly with both of his hands. Both of them entered a pause for quite a while, until they both tensed and filled the air with screams.

" EAT THIS!"

" GET SLICED!"

As they both yelled their personal battle cry, the charged up energy collided with each other violently. The shock was so great that even the space was started getting distorted. Black substance originating from the inter-dimensional gaps started to emanate from the colliding point. This was a reason why great powers hated fighting against each other by themselves. The last time it happened, which was Armageddon, the world turned into a total wasteland. It took millenias of handsome efforts from all factions to repair. But, it only happened if the colliding power had close strength. If one overpowered the other, it wouldn't appear.

Both strikes pushed against each other. Sir Zechs's energy ball was cracking Kaito's blade, while his blade was trying to slice the ball. They seemed equivalent in terms of power, but Kaito's sword force was far more concentrated than Sir Zechs's strike. In the end, the sword sliced the ball in half, resulting in a massive explosion inside.

The barrier was completely destroyed, releasing dust and smokes out. The ORC and Sir Zechs's peerage barged in and saw a stunning view.

An abyss.

That one clash had created a dark abyss with diameters about 50 meters, the exact same one as the barrier Kaito had created. If it weren't for the barrier…they shuddered to even think that. And the depth was incredible. They couldn't even see the end of it. All they could see was the endless pit of darkness glaring back at them.

" I'm going down."

Rias unfurled her wings and jumped to the hole. After about 100 meters down, she heard a mild grunting from below her, possibly close.

" Ah, buchou. Your brother's pretty heavy. Can you help me lift his body up?"

A voice rang out. As a devil, she had natural night vision. And she couldn't even see anything inside this darkness, but she knew that it was Kaito's voice. She felt a gust of wind on her skin, and she just flailed her arms randomly, hoping to hit him somehow. By the way, she succeeded in slapping his face.

" Ouch!"

" Sorry. Where is he? Is he alive?"

" No worries. Just grab this and we'll go up."

She felt an arm on her fingers and grabbed it. They flew up in sync and reached the top quicker than she thought. After wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead, she looked at the person she was carrying a.k.a her brother.

He was brutally slashed from head to torso, with a little muscle as the only thing to connect them. She looked at the dead carcass of her brother and…

*BOOMM!* * KIDDING!*

…Okay, here's the real one.

It's the truth that he was fatally wounded, but he wasn't sliced from head to stomach. It was a deep cut with blood gushing from it. He was panting hardly, barely containing his scream caused by the massive pain he was in.

Asia rushed to heal him and Kaito fell to his knees. He was tired. Containing the blast inside the barrier, slicing Sir Zechs's supercharged energy orb, and protecting himself simultaneously really took a lot out of him. His body was covered in scorch marks and was very sore. He needed to eat AND sleep for a while. Before he could protest, one of the spirits watching him walked in and carried him on his back. It was one of the twin ninjas that blocked Kokabiel's assault the other day.

" Shura…I said I didn't need your assistance. Just let me roam free, will you?"

The ninja shook his head in exasperation.

" No can do, master. You'd been gone from our radar for a year, and we're not going to let you get in trouble alone again." He shook his head.

" Che." He pouted.

" I'm sorry for master's childish behavior. I will be taking him for a few days. Miss Gremory, would you mind noticing Sona Sitri about this? About the notice of absence, I mean"

" Y-Yes. Alright."

" Your help is appreciated. Well, farewell."

He summoned his shuriken and stabbed it on the ground, summoning a purple portal for them to enter.

" Tell Raynare, will you?"

Kaito waved his hand and walked into the portal and disappeared.

* * *

A magic circle opened in front of a massive Japanese style mansion. It was large and it had no neighbors, so that place was completely isolated from people in town. But, it had no people inside. Kaito and his attendant popped out from the portal and walked to a massive wooden door marking the entrance.

" Oi, open up! We're here!"

A small hole opened on the door then closed again. The door creaked open, revealing a long pathway to the main building. The moment Kaito entered, various spirits appeared. Monsters, ninjas, specters, and even divine beasts lined up on his way. Some rushed to him and hugged him tightly.

" Okay, okay guys. Let's keep my bones intact, okay?"

He didn't say it easily, since one of the bigger ones started to crush his bones unintentionally with their bear hugs. After they released him, he marched to the main building, donning his haori in process. The haori was a bit different from what he usually wore. It was red with the kanji of 'death' written on his back and a flower with eight petals was also engraved on it. The sleeves were loose with gold linings.

" Okay, let's begin this meeting!"

* * *

 **From here on out, I'm gonna stray from the path a bit. Rate and review, guys! Thanks for reading!**


	17. I'm Picking a Fight

**Hey, sorry for the brief pause. Maan, I went to some kind of camp and got too tired to write. But, hey, it was fun. Well, I'm gonna stop the chit-chat here and begin this chapter!**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine.**

* * *

Kaito was sitting cross-legged with a serious expression. During his two years of absence, problems kept piling up and his clan couldn't just go around without him as their supreme commander. In front of him, spirits in various forms were kneeling seiza in two columns. Some of the lower rankings were peeping from some cracks nearby.

" Seriously, a war? Here, in Japan?"

He finally opened his mouth.

" No, not exactly war. It's more like small skirmishes, but we're afraid it can escalate to a war if not handled."

A fully-armored samurai answered him.

" I see…"

He let out a desperate sigh and rested his chin on his hand. He just got a portion of his powers back three days ago and now this? Troublesome.

" Your orders?"

" Send out spies in teams of three. As for me, I'll see them for myself. And, you all…"

Everybody tensed, waiting his declaration.

" Prepare yourselves. We're heading out once this town is done."

"YES!"

All of them stood up and marched outside, preparing all the necessities for the incoming war. Meanwhile, Kaito was looking at the sky, thinking about everything he had done until now in the name of his deceased lover.

" Akane-chan…will this be okay?"

The next day, he asked Rias to make some excuses for him and said goodbye to Kuroka and Raynare. And he brought Eva with him, just to make sure the others wouldn't force him to take some escorts. The bronze-haired girl also seemed more than willing to travel with him, anyway.

" Master, where are we going?"

She wore a red blouse with black leather jacket on top of it and a short skirt. Her shapely legs were hugged by black stockings, and her wrists were adorned by two purple bracelets. Her azure pupils were as mesmerizing as ever, and they were further enhanced by her natural dark eyes.

" Hmm~ Let's see. It's some place near the mountains, actually. No, it's on the mountains. Man, this map is crappy."

He spun around the so-called map and cursed. It was no different than some random shapes and scribbles on an old paper. After considering to rip the map to pieces or not, he stored it inside his pocket and relied on instincts to reach the destination. But, after transforming to a dragon, his nose's sensitivity was incredibly heightened, to the point he could recognize the place by smell.

" Wait, I've been here before."

He jumped and levitated on air, only to see a familiar sight greeting him. It was the church he had 'visited' before. And there was a huge village on their way to the mountain. Nostalgia hit him as he reminisced what happened few months ago.

" Master, we've arrived at the village."

He saw the village. It was lively alright, but it reeked of beliefs. Perhaps Maxwell finally managed to remodel the place, huh? But, still, there was something strange here. Kaito and Eva passed the crowds and went to an inn.

" Two rooms, please. One night."

They could just pop to the place, but Kaito preferred walking adventures than just teleportation. It would nullify any chances to get new experiences, after all. And he still had to teach Eva proper manners. Last time he heard, she was walking around naked because she couldn't find her towel. He wasn't going to let her do that in front of other people again.

The inn lady handed him two keys and showed them the rooms. Luckily, their rooms weren't that far from each other, so he could make sure to watch over her without much effort. He gave her a key and entered his own room. He saw Eva waving at him and inserted the key to the door's lock.

" Aah~ This room's pretty nice…"

He jumped to the bed after throwing his bag to the floor. He might not look like it, but he was a great net trader, gaining millions of yen every months easily. With that much money, he had to invest them somehow, but, he left it to his business-experienced guys since he was still under aged. Right now, his parents believed he was staying at some friend's house. If only they paid a little more attention, this stupid lie wouldn't have worked magnificently so many times. This also served as a break from his parents' prison.

However, that didn't last too long.

" Master, what should I do with this?"

A voice cooed from the door. He unwillingly opened the door, revealing a very appealing yet dangerous sight. Eva was in her night pajamas, consisting simple big T-shirt and nothing else with wet hair and a hair dryer in his left hand. And to add fuel to fire, her shirt was wrongly buttoned. That sight made him face-palm with beet red face.

" Come here."

He yanked the hair-dryer from her hand and told her to sit. Using his swordsman instincts, he managed to gently dry her hair without looking here and there at her gorgeous body. After a few minutes, he exhaled and sat back on his bed. She turned to him, tilting her head cutely. Her obsidian bracelets never seemed to leave her wrists, clanging loudly.

" Don't you take off your jewelries?"

" Um, because Aka-Oni told me to always be ready for battle."

" So, that's a weapon? Show me."

Answering his excitement, she flicked her wrist. In an instant, the bracelets morphed into translucent dark blue swords. She twirled it a few times and threw it to the air before catching it splendidly, transforming them back to bracelets.

" I don't know where these came from, much less my past. I guess these must be my preferred weapons before I lost my memories."

Even though she seemed like nothing more than an innocent teenage girl with dangerous weapons on hand, she still had this thing that made Kaito uneasy. Her eyes were deep and full of experience, and she was accustomed to battle, mentally and physically. If Sona went all out against her, she might just defeat her in her own game. But, those eyes were also filled with anxiety and fear. She read the runes on the pedestal he destroyed to free her.

"… _The fate of the world lies within your hand. Choose."_

It was written right below her former location, so there was no doubt that she was the 'thing' that might throw the world into chaos. And her loss of memories made it even worse. What would she change into if her memories were restored? Would she, the memory-less one, cease to exist? Those questions haunted her. And most of all, she feared if Kaito would eventually realize and cast her away or at least look at her differently.

But, being him, he understood her pain all too well. He had seen countless episodes like that, and they'd never end well.

" Meh, don't worry about it. It's not like we're rushing it anyway."

His carefree reply calmed her down. That action hinted that he wouldn't care whether she gained her memory back or not because she wouldn't change in his eyes. Her tensed body relaxed, followed by a sigh. Kaito was about to send her back to her room until he heard something weird outside. Some booms and shouts echoed outside. Eva couldn't hear it, though, since her senses were nowhere near his.

" _Insults…no, curses?!"_

He stood up, surprising his companion.

" Eva, stay here. I'm checking the area."

He opened the window and unfurled his normal black angel wings. He was not a Fallen, but it was a shape he preferred. He put one foot on the window, another on the floor. He nodded at her and jumped to the cold night outside.

After patrolling the area of 100 meters radius, he found nothing but a little commotion downtown. Feeling that none of it would be capable of hurting him or Eva, he returned to the inn.

He entered his own room through the same window and hid his wings. He smiled at her and patted her head.

" Eva, go back and sleep, okay? We're going early tomorrow."

" Yes. Good night, Master."

" Sweet dreams."

His simple reply harvested a faint blush on her cheeks. She waved shyly at him and left. But, damn, her smile was so damn cute.

" Oh, I'm getting out of way here."

He slapped himself to get rid of dirty things that bypassed his mind's security and pulled the blanket. Sleeping would be the best course of action.

He woke up without dreadful nightmares, which was quite rare these days. After he reclaimed his powers, the memories of his sealing chain were released. And it also consisted past trauma the spirits tried to keep down. This was also the reason why the chain could only be opened by the one possessing the aspect inside him. Because if it were randomly opened, the trauma blast could kill him instantly. He must have someone to stabilize his raging emotions at all costs. And the first one was done by Raynare.

He stretched and yawned loudly. Then, with bed hair and sleep eyes, he was on his way to the bathroom until he heard a booming sound from northeast where the church was located. Eyes opening wide, he threw the annoying blanket to the floor and rushed to the window. Using his keen eyes and ears, he tried to get a grasp of what was happening there. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

" Master, what are you doing?"

Eva was looking at him from the door. She immediately grabbed him and dragged him to bathroom.

" Brush your teeth and wash your face before going out!"

…Maybe her common sense was better than his, after all.

* * *

After doing his regular morning routines, he once again jumped to window, and this time, with Eva behind him. He left the door open, they weren't going to come back, anyway. Together, they raced to the source of problem, and if possible, go out before they got involved. At least, he wanted to know why this town felt a little off.

Their answer lied across the street. A blonde female teenager was being beaten up by an angry mob of folks. She didn't even retaliate. Bruises covered her whole body, and blood swelled in her mouth. One of them violently grabbed her hair and yanked it up, getting a loud shriek from her. Kaito gasped in disbelief.

The girl was Jeanne.

His protective senses kicked in. Maybe he had only been a few weeks with her, but their bond was still strong nonetheless. She was someone that relied on him, and he had his pride as man, too.

Rule number 1 : Never, ever betray someone who trusts you.

Rule number 2 : Protect your woman at all costs.

This condition fell inside both.

With a deafening cry, he jumped to her, clad in white flames. Then, he carried her bridal-style and wrapped his tails around her to keep her comfortable. She winced in contact. Perhaps a few of her bones were fractured as well.

" EVA!"

Following his command, several pillars of purple crystal surrounded him and acted as an impenetrable wall to them. Kaito jumped up and placed her beside Eva. Then, as the crowds started shouting insults to him, he snapped.

" If you're a child of God, return that heretic!"

" You're shielding someone who has strayed off His path!"

" Give her to us!"

Mustering all his power into presence, he resumed his tyrannical presence. The Conqueror. The Imperialist. With one glare, no one dared to open his mouth.

" Whoever is sinless, let him be the first to hit her."

But, given how modern people were far more ignorant, several men grabbed rocks and cocked their fist back.

" And the ones who throw will face death."

His eyes turned red and he unfurled his newly-acquired dragon wings. It was bigger than his body with crystal black color, and rough purple membrane on the bones. He let out a soul-breaking growl against them.

The result was terrifying.

The moment he released it, almost all of them collapsed to the ground. Several popes who had a little more resistance lost all strength in their legs, and were frantically trying to grab whatever available as support. In his overwhelming presence, no normal humans could stand up against him. Even Eva who had braced herself for imminent impact was shaking, nearly falling to the ground due to his indiscriminate promise of death.

Seeing that no one was capable of hurting them anymore, he turned to his loyal familiar.

" Eva, take her to the mansion and heal her by any means necessary. Tell the guys…"

He flexed his shoulders and the wings flapped, raising him off the ground.

" …I'm picking a fight."

His wings unleashed a massive gush of wind, shooting him up like a black comet. She was sure he could surpass mach speed without much problems now, but there were more pressing matters right here. She passed the girl's hand on her shoulder and carried her like a sack of rice. Then, she leaped from there, right to a purple crystal snake waiting her below. The snake started to hiss and moved towards her home as quickly as possible.

Kaito was raising speed even further. He must get to the Heavens to give the big holy guy a piece of his mind, personally. He continued soaring higher and higher, until he reached the lands of Heavens. He didn't even mind them and just broke through it like an overpowered AP missile. He went on breaking 2 or 3 more floors, and finally reached a gate.

" Stop! Trespasser…what do you want?!"

Some 4 winged angels wielding swords and spears stopped him before he reached the gate. Kaito paid them no mind, at least until they poked his chest with a light spear.

" I said, STOP!"

Although they sounded convincing, their knees betrayed their voice. The sound of knees shaking was even louder than his demanding voice. Seeing that, even he couldn't help but smirking just a little bit. He'd love to stay there and laugh all day, but he had better things to right now.

For example, wrecking the place as much as possible.

Now, he didn't even bother intimidating them. Instead, he swiped his hand in a wide arc, slapping all angels in front of him aside with a massive hurricane. He walked forward and placed his hand on the gate's steel.

" Break."

A glyph formed on the gate. The gate slowly clanged and bent itself, until it imploded, leaving some metallic rubbles.

Laughing at his work, he stepped into the inner realms of Heaven. After slapping several more guards here and there, he finally reached the inner of inner place in Heaven.

" Hey, stop it! Aaarrghh!"

The final gate leading to the sacred room was broken in half as a 6-winged angel was thrown through it. Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, and Michael all adored shocked expression on their face. Kaito spared a few glances at Raphael and Uriel, a distrusting glare at Gabriel, and a completely angry dragon-like glare at Michael.

" What are you doing here, eh… Who are you?"

Michael felt a surge of fear inside him, but nothing he couldn't handle. Yet. On the other hand, Gabriel felt her heart constricted when he shot her that look.

" Kaito-kun…"

" Gabriel-san…I told you to keep Jeanne safe, and what happened down there really made me upset. Now, before I wreck this whole place, mind giving me a proper explanation?"

He released his tails that started to lash out wildly on their own. Considering that his tails were actually manifestation of his spirit energy, they could respond to his emotions, and in this case, rage. Michael stood up from his throne and looked at him, matching his glare. Kaito fixated his attention on the big boss and inhaled.

" As for your previous question, Michael….YOU MADE HER CRY AGAIN!"

Power radiated out from him. And not just power, the room's temperature started to sky-rocket in seconds, filling the entire room with hot air and ethereal white flames. There was a talent that he didn't really like, and that was to feel emotions of others. This talent came along during his years of solitude, and it became a total hindrance to him.

For example, when his opponent was fighting on pure intentions.

He felt like a total loser when he received Raphael's punch, twisted him, and kicked his jaws in. Also when he danced around Uriel and elbowed him to the ground. They might not use all their powers, being merciful angels and all, but he used it against them and defeated them in a flash. If they did otherwise, it'd spell trouble for him.

And so, it left Gabriel and Michael to face him.

The fire still raged around him, but both seraphs made sure to not let him do excessive damage to their home. Michael walked to him, still with curious expression donned on his angelic face. He knew this boy had the power of Maou-class devil based on reports, but lately, he noticed the fight between him and Sir Zechs Lucifer. Even though they were holding back, the Crimson Devil was forced to assume his true form, and he still stood against his onslaught and emerged victorious.

Considering they both had the power higher than Maou-class, this should be an easy fight. But, still…

" _What's with this uneasiness?"_

Gabriel, on the other hand, had seen his power first hand. He broke through the restraints that she needed half power to break with a single burst of energy, and in such a deprived state, too. Nonetheless, she didn't want to fight him not because of that, but because she felt like he was someone he could relate to.

Instead of being angry at the perpetrator, she faced her brother with pure fury.

" Brother, what was he talking about?"

Michael sweated at his usually cute sister's behavior. Actually, she never bared her fangs against him, but now, she looked at him like a thief caught stealing her underwear. He sweated and retreated to his own mind to recollect data of what could make them so angry.

" Uuh…I…drank your tea yesterday?"

" NO!"

" I was in the toilet for too long?"

" NO!"

" Maybe I neglected my work?"

" NO!"

He fell back to thinking pose, with Gabriel still glaring at him. Then, as if getting an enlightenment, he hit his left palm with his right fist.

" AH, then, I'm sorry for eating your milky white crunchy snacks a week ago!"

Instead of saying 'no' again, she flared her angelic powers to maximum point and pointed at her brother. Her other hand already formed a super dense light spear.

" So…It was you, huh, onii-sama….My milky-tan I've been saving for special occasions, my treasured snack…YOU ATE THEM?!"

She was literally burning with rage right now. The **[[Incinerate Anthem]]** was supposed to be a sacred gear with the hottest holy flames available in the world, but Gabriel already came close to it.

" Umm, are you done with your siblings quarrel yet?"

Gabriel seemed to regain a little of her self control with his voice, and coughed. His voice didn't remove her animosity towards her brother, though. Michael looked at both of them, and gave up. He couldn't remember what he had done to incur their wrath.

" I'm sorry. But, I can't seem to remember what I did to make you both angry…"

They both sent an even more dangerous glare at the poor seraph.

" Even though I told you to protect her…you sent her to be sacrificed again?! Can't you control your believers, angels?!"

His exclaim was directed at both of them. In the first place, he placed his trust in Gabriel, and Michael was the very leader of all angels.

" You don't mean…onii-sama! Where did you send her?!"

Gabriel widened her eyes in realization and looked her brother in surprise.

" Her? Oh, that Jeanne girl. I sent her to a village down below. There were some riots here and there about her, so I sent her there."

But, his face turned serious the moment he noticed the problem.

" So, you're the one who caused that major shock near those regions recently, eh? You know, we angels rely on faith of Christianity to continue existing, and you single-handedly landed a devastating blow on it by killing off several high priests. What were you thinking?"

Instead of replying, Kaito shoved his hand into his dimensional armory and searched for a while. Then, he pulled out a golden claymore he got from that detestable church.

" Behold, Michael."

He stabbed the sword on the marble floor. The seraph didn't know how to react, mostly because that sword released massive holy aura comparable to that of Excalibur. But, something about that sword felt…off. It clearly wasn't the sword his Father had forged. Noticing his confusion, Kaito patted the sword's hilt.

" This is Deucalion. This sword was created from my energy transformed to holy energy. As you can see, its power isn't just for show."

He glanced at Gabriel.

" I was accused by your so-called 'Holy Priest' and imprisoned, only to be sapped off power like some holy battery, and you know what they said to me?"

He chuckled darkly.

" You'd become a great help in the name of God… There's no greater happiness than to die for Him."

He pointed Deucalion at him.

" Actually, I know for a fact that the God is in fact the most benevolent God I know, and knowing that, I'll ask you a question."

" What?"

" Are you planning to tarnish His name?"

Michael looked dumbstruck. He started fidgeting uncontrollably. Gabriel also shot him a questioning look.

" Gabriel came to me with her, asking if I knew where should we put her, and she said she wanted to help others again, since it's the most enjoyable for her."

" And you sent her there, fully knowing that she'd be tormented once she stepped on those grounds?"

" But, if I didn't do it, the believers…"

Kaito's pupils constricted to slits. His sword started to eat the flames nearby, empowering it with its heat and energy even more. It was just an ordinary spirit sword, but it was imbued with both anger and flames, creating a new one in process. Plus the holy power in the Heaven, the sword reacted and absorbed all nearby elements in.

The end result was astounding.

Kaito's blade shone white and the flames completely encased it. Now the sword looked like it was made with white and golden flames, with accents of red on the blade. There were red whirlwinds swirling the blade, giving it even more imposing look. But, the sword itself gave the two seraphs goose bumps.

" Sister, isn't that?"

" Seems like it is. Kaito, what's that in your hand?"

Gabriel also adopted serious expression. Not wanting to be diverted from topic, he swung the sword in a wide arc. The flames nearby were sliced, before getting back together. He then stabbed the sword on the ground.

" It's just a sword that somehow got modified. I'm more interested about how Jeanne ended up there."

Gabriel sighed and her eyes started to get swollen, as she was secretly wiping them to prevent looking like there were tears in them.

" So, spill. Even if it's for the sake of church, I'm not going to let any of my friends get hurt. Not that I have so many, anyway."

His tone was obviously ominous. After being exposed to such bloodlust for extended amount of time, even Michael would shiver.

" I-I received some reports that someone caused some great disturbance in the church there, and I heard a mysterious boy was the one starting that. Something about not being a priest is okay, and that forcing yourself to love others is wrong, and things. The linchpin was the release of the girl, and that shook the entire region. That's when I thought the system might be overly disturbed by your actions, and then Gabriel came with that girl."

" SO YOU'VE PLOTTED THIS, NII-SAMA?!"

Gabriel was beyond angry right now. Her ten pearl white wings flickered from white to black then white again, and her grip on her spear was tightening.

But Kaito was even more frightening. His flames turned black and started to devour the marble columns and pillars there, threatening to destroy that place. He remembered when all that girl wanted was to live normally and these supposed holy protector took it away from her, twice, just to preserve some hypothesis.

" Oi, Michael. Before you believe that nonsense of a rumor, why don't you check the systems first?"

" What are you talking about? It's obviously-"

He widened his eyes in surprise. Instead of getting jammed, the heavenly system his Father had invented actually worked better after Jeanne was saved. The system to create miracles and blessings with him as its center had never worked better than now.

" You remember the crisis of Christianity when Roman empire decided to reject it? Especially when Nero became the emperor? Instead of getting weaker, their faith became stronger, and finally, they changed the world. At that time, Rome was using something like this, too, the true Catholics being accused as witches and all."

He remembered the horror when Nero used stakes to burn the believers for entertainment purpose. Thousands died, but hundreds of thousands turned to God. It was one of the greatest miracles performed by both God and the humans.

" Impossible! Is this…"

" Yes, it seems like your Father's gift prefers to save one innocent life than to please a thousand fakers. Actually, it's like your Father is helping you despite this."

" Father…"

But, the tear-jerking moment didn't last too long.

" Okay, enough with this, I guess I'm gonna wreck this place as compensation."

He smashed his fist against the wall behind him, breaking several layers of them at once. When he retracted it, a huge hole was apparent. The hole itself could fit several dragons.

" 'Kay, I'm done."

{You sure, partner? I think they deserved some more.}

The two angels were also intrigued. Sure, they were relieved that he decided to stop there, but it was strange nonetheless.

" Look around you."

They looked at the room and gasped. The previously white and golden room was charred black with soot and ashes covering it. The furniture were already burnt to ashes, and even the room itself had started to melt from the immense heat he released back then. But, after the temperature went back to normal so suddenly, the sudden change left several cracks on the walls. Plus, Michael's throne was nearly in cinders, save for the part where he was sitting.

" See? By the way, I smashed open several holes below. My bad, Gabriel. I just want to vent out a bit, and this is your bro's fault, anyway. Just feel free to let your brother fix those all by himself. Bye bye~"

Just like that, he laughed and went out, then vanished.

* * *

Eva was skidding on her obsidian snake as she stabilized Jeanne's body. Keeping an unconscious person aboard a fast-moving snake was really hard, even for her. But, her master had ordered her to take Jeanne and heal her. The only place available now should be…

" _The healing spring Black guy told me."_

She sped up even more, not wanting to increase the chance of Jeanne's death. Her blond hair reflected the setting sun, and slipped to her nose.

" Achooo!"

Her sneeze shocked both of them, but at least she was alive and conscious. Now, balancing would be a rather trivial matter.

Or that's what should happen.

Jeanne's balance was scored minus. It was quite a given since she was still badly injured, especially the head part. Her bleeding had stopped, but the pain hadn't been gone yet. The whole world was tilting around for her, accompanied by a splitting headache she endured.

" Kaito…He saved me again, didn't he? Where is he now?"

" He's picking a fight."

" I see…Just like him."

" With the angels."

" Oh, haha..WHAT?!"

She widened her eyes in shock.

" He thought Michael sent you there to suffer."

" OF COURSE NOT! Well, he did, but that's not the problem!"

Eva sighed and closed one eye.

" Well, what is the problem, then?"

" At first, it was fine. The people were indifferent, but they still cared enough to provide me with food and place to stay. Some even greeted me and smiled at me."

She gasped, trying to ease the pain of her throat.

" But, then some kind of sickness overwhelmed the village. A child died every day. I was accused as the bearer of the curse, because I defied God's will. Then, it slowly escalated to the incident before."

" I see…this is definitely a useful information. Rest now. We're close to the place."

She obliged and jumped down from the crystal snake, Jeanne in hands. She ran to the inn and quickly took her to the indoor springs. After changing her clothes, of course.

* * *

Michael sighed in his office after Kaito's onslaught. Somehow, he felt really tired after it was all over. Her sister not wanting to talk to him helped too. Moreover, the sword Kaito nonchalantly created gave him too much aftershock.

" Right…I forget to make plans…"

The sword gave him too much that he started to get amnesia. It was a replica of a sword his Father had personally forged, nicknamed Sword of Truth. It was the sword that guarded the entrance to Heaven in old times, the strongest holy, no, divine sword with enough power to make Durandal or Excalibur look like toothpicks. Well, it's also true that holy swords were really picky about their wielders, and wouldn't display their full power without proper wielder, but commonly the Excalibur still looked like toothpick in front of it.

Luckily, the sword Kaito made was just a failed replica of it. But, still, it held enough power to withstand Excalibur blows from the greatest user known in history he knew, King Arthur Pendragon.

" Oh Father, why did you have to leave us?"

* * *

 **By the way, I'm thinking that Kaito might be a little too overpowered. Should I weaken him a bit, or make others stronger? Give me your opinions.**


	18. Parents Visit Day

Kaito ran through the plains, heading towards the healing spring Eva took Jeanne to. Spy mission was in his mind, but saving a nearly lost life of a friend came first. Luckily, he had expected some obstruction to happen and dispatched some other squads with the same mission. They surely had come back, considering how fast a spirit could travel.

" Tch! This sucks…I should've learned how to spirit-travel first before going on like this. Running through an island sucks."

Zecrow deadpanned at his wielder's idiocy.

{You've got wings, idiot}

He abruptly stopped, from being invisible to human's eyes because of raw speed to a stop.

" I FORGOT!"

…

{Stupid idiot.}

[Go die and rot somewhere]

His tenants scolded him. Zecrow face-palmed while muttering something about hard head and puny brains, but he decided to let it go. But, regardless of that, he unfurled his dragon wings and took flight immediately. The wings were heavy and unrefined, but they had to do, he must get used to a dragon's body as soon as possible, too.

" As I expected, your body strength is on a totally different level, Zecrow. My power balance might shift a bit with this…"

{ Right…First of all, a dragon's strength lies in their physical power and spirit. Their unyielding will is far more formidable than their adamant body, and that's the true source of that strength. I don't think you'll have much trouble.}

" Maintenance…"

{ Oh, right…I forgot. You haven't done it at all in two years, have you? Seriously, you never cease to amaze me. Containing that much malice is just plain impossible had you not done it until today.}

He clenched his fist until it bled, and droplets of blood fell to the faraway ground.

" I haven't. Since Akane died…I've never trusted anyone enough for that."

He tore through the night sky and finally arrived at the hill where that healing spring was placed. In front of the inn, there was a giant purple crystal snake very similar to that which swallowed him whole before.

" _I'm sure I sliced that snake to size before…my imagination?"_

He ignored the snake and entered the inn. In all actuality, the inn master was very-well acquainted with him. Granted, because he needed to come there and stayed there at least twice a week due to training 'accidents'. Not the fond memories he wanted to recollect. He still remembered how his friend took him there after harsh training, black and blue due to defying his limits. But enough of that, he waved his hand at the inn keeper, an old lady with red cape covering her whole figure.

" Long time no see, kid. Doing well? Considering you'd go here every 3 days before it's quite the record."

Surprised?

She talked like a modern teenager.

He paid her way of talking no mind, and marched in. The woman threw him a key and he caught it without even turning. He was okay without clues, he knew that place like the back of his hand. Stopping right in front of a wooden door, he inserted the key without pause and opened the door quickly.

" Master?"

What greeted him was the best, scratch that, most dangerous sight a man could ever hope to face.

Eva, with only a towel on, was sitting beside Jeanne who also had…rather less clothing on. They both looked at him, Eva cutely tilting her head to him. It was the heavenly, ehem, hellish combination of cuteness and beauty.

Too much for the young hunter to behold.

*THUMP*

He fell down to the floor out cold after turning very pale, his blood completely drained from his face. Both girls rushed to him immediately, still half naked, which didn't help much. They stopped him from banging the floor, alright, but as soon as he woke up, he collapsed again due to the…delicious sight. If only he had more experience with women, he wouldn't collapse so easily, but the only women he'd even interacted with were his mom, sister, and his previous girlfriend. Rias liked to sleep naked AND sneak to his bedroom at night, but he'd still be asleep, so no problem. You can't faint while sleeping, after all.

" Uummm, Eva-san, I think we'd better cover ourselves up first or Kaito will end up fainting again when he wakes up."

Eva looked down at her naked body.

" I see."

After waking up again, without nosebleed this time, they all sat on the warm floor. The inn had heater installed, so the cold air wouldn't pose much problem for the customers. And it was certainly nice to Jeanne, cold wouldn't get her wounds any better, except when Eva had to dip her in cold water to ease her burn injuries. Otherwise, bad cold.

" Looks like nearly all your injuries have been healed, huh? Thanks a lot, Eva."

She nodded at his thanks, and turned back to Jeanne.

" But, the severe wounds weren't all that dangerous. I am more concerned about her mental condition. When she first woke up, she looked like she wanted to die there. If her will to live is so little, no healing magic can help her, the innkeeper said."

" I know. I made a huge ruckus in Heaven, but not enough for them to declare war against us. It's not like Michael knows who I am, anyway."

" I should've come with you, Master. Seeing an innocent human gets tormented like this hurts my eyes."

Kaito smiled gently at her. It hurt his muscles to do so, but a cold face with an eerie smile was the worst kind of face to say this.

" But, who'll take Jeanne here? Getting revenge is important, but saving the one you care about is even more important. You chose the right choice, Eva."

A little pat on her head was a simple gesture, but for her, it was the greatest bliss she had ever experience since coming out from her crystal cocoon. Well, aside from seeing her master for the first time.

" I…see, thanks master."

" You're sweetest welcome, Eva."

She blushed at his response, and seriously, with that face that usually adorned cold expression, her smile was so unusual, and that made it worth even more.

Basically saying, her smile was so damn cute.

" Uh, yeah. Overall, it's that. Okay, I'm off to get my well-deserved sleep."

He turned back to hide his blush and fell flat on the futon right away. Truly, a woman was absolutely terrifying. Especially that lover of his, she managed to make the supreme commander of spirits kneel to ask her out. Well, not literally so, but she could do that if she was ever so inclined.

But, enough of that.

He was disrupted with the twist of events, but he needed to think about this upcoming war seriously. Tomorrow, he'd leave at dawn and head back to his army's stronghold and receive reports from the surveillance team right away. The tides of enemies around Mount Fuji were starting to get restless, as the information he got from the meeting before. And the fact that they could cause quite awful chaos if let be wasn't wrong as well.

And what's worse, he heard there was a necromancer in their ranks.

" Bad news. Very bad news."

He relaxed himself, not wanting to strain himself during little break time he had left.

* * *

The journey home didn't take much time, mostly because Eva had insisted to use a magic circle to teleport home immediately. The slight nausea from the feedback made him a bit wobbly, but he walked to the main house quickly. The enemies would not wait for them, so being fast was the key to win this thing.

" So…Where did you run off to, Master?"

As expected, his clan didn't take his accidental leave of absence from the mission well. Being forced to seiza while being surrounded by about a hundred spirits with menacing aura was a bit nerve-wrecking.

" I…picked a fight?"

" With angels?"

" Hey, I can't help it! Jeanne nearly got scorched before, and doing that to her again was just plain outrageous, so I pulled her away."

His samurai aide face-palmed and released a long tired sigh. When he showed his face again, he looked several years older. Kaito held in a giggle, which totally failed and irked the samurai to no ends. He slammed the wooden floor and yelled.

" YOU COULD'VE CAUSED A WAR, YOU KNOW?!"

Kaito had to cover his ears to prevent his eardrums from shattering. After the storm passed, he put his hands down.

" Geez, I said I made sure to control myself. He's an angel, AND the one who almost killed his devout believer, so he can't actually complain."

The samurai was flabbergasted, but shook his head and scolded him again. He was surprised that Kaito, even for a second, made him believe his impossible reason. And he was one of the warlords in ancient times, too. How crazy was that?

" Even if it's just one percent, we can't take the risk of fighting two wars at the same time!"

He sighed in desperation.

" Master, you really have to expand your mind. You can't just barge in to another's problems like this. Grow up!"

Kaito clicked his tongue. He knew that he was a bit too troublesome as a leader, even though his power was more than adequate for the position.

" I know. But, more than a leader, I'm a teenager. It's just my impulse to do something like this. Besides, can you watch when someone completely innocent being slaughtered for no reason?"

" Hhh~ I expected so…But, remember. You're not a hero, you're an assassin, and that holds true. You know what happened the last time you saved someone randomly."

Kaito muttered a curse under his breath. What happened a year ago wasn't something he liked to talk about. He didn't want to remember that accursed succubus that made Akane die and laughed while doing so. When he had the chance, he wasn't going to be merciful. He'd break every single bone in her body and evaporate her blood until the last drop.

" Noted. Now, report."

The next hour was filled with so much tension, it could actually be cut with a knife. What the recon teams saw brought dread to the whole room.

There were 10000 enemies, complete with their necessities for war. Food and weapons were carefully organized, but most of all, they noticed huge crossbows loaded with huge fiery metal bolts that looked quite menacing, plus 5 super-huge catapult with enough payload to obliterate the whole mountain.

The scorpion ballistae and onagers.

The most badass weapons of Roman age.

" Intel says that we're up against Roman and Greek monsters. Apparently, they migrated from their homeland, carried by cargo to the most faraway lands. And Roman Empire always dictates whatever territories they came across."

It was true. The dispute between east and west had heated through centuries of war, and the spirits reflected it. But, he never thought they'd actually attack so bluntly. Maybe their fear of death was dulled by the constant war?

" _Meh, not possible. Or is it?"_

He was still unsure about that theory.

Meanwhile…

Sir Zechs Lucifer was sitting inside his office, sorting out documents. He stopped at one particular paper, its content caught his eyes.

" Matters regarding the unknown factor, Nakashima Kaito. What's this?"

He read the file quickly, intending to catch on only its important points. Being a leader, he had to zip through documents with great speed, especially when he's the Maou. But, he couldn't afford to do that now. His eyes widened in every minute passed.

" Nakashima Kaito…Powers enough to cancel Phenex's regeneration factor…Defeating a high achiever in Rating games easily…is deemed DANGEROUS?! Further intel is required, and desperate action must be taken?!"

It was utterly nonsense.

Well, the fact that he was strong couldn't be denied.

And he had the power to challenge him.

His side was uncertain.

" CRAP! He's totally mysterious!"

He didn't want to admit it, but for him to assume his true form just to match his combat capabilities should be ridiculous, yet it happened. At the very least, Kaito had the power of a Maou-class devil and was fully capable of controlling it without much problem. He could cause destruction however he wanted to, to whomever he wanted.

A total wild card.

Someone capable of controlling the tides by being unknown alone and winning through sheer strength had every reason to be feared. If he sided with them, it'd be all good, but what if he sided with the enemies?

Disaster could barely fit the proportions of damage caused.

He rummaged through the documents once again, not wanting to miss any important details. He saw the sender's name on the top left, and widened his eyes.

" Where did Astaroth family get this kind of intel?"

* * *

" When will we march, Waka?"

Kaito gritted his teeth to that question.

" As much as I hate to say it, the enemies have about 10000, while we only have less than 5 hundred, including the logistic supports. We're completely outnumbered."

The attendants gasped at their obvious difference in numbers. One of them raised his voice, more like a nervous squeak.

" Bu-But, if it's you, you can take care all of them easily, right? That number was nothing compared to when you protected Mount Fuji from the enemies."

" Yeah, but sadly, I don't have all my powers back yet, so my choice is limited. Besides, once we get there, it'll be a race against time. Saving them and plowing enemies before they can launch an attack. We need a force that can distract them from assaulting, and I'm sure I alone won't be enough."

Murmurs were heard from the crowd. And then, Aka-oni showed up. He grinned to Kaito and made a peace sign.

" I've requested reinforcements. Our Kyoto, Nagoya, and Okinawa branch have moved out, along with your friend, Nurarihyon. He's bringing his best men here."

" He said…this'll be fun, didn't he?"

" You knew? Can you read minds?"

" No, 'cause it's just like that crazy old dude would say."

Kaito sighed.

" Now, when will they arrive?"

" About a week or so."

" We'll wait. Even if we don't arrive there in a week, it'll be fine. They'll think they can destroy that village anytime, so I'm guessing they're having their feast early."

" True."

The recon team responded.

" Well, that's it. I'm going back to Kuoh for a while, and I'll return next week."

He disappeared after waving his hand once. The others smiled at his antics and started leaving the room.

Kuoh…

Akeno watched her panicked club president walking around in circles while sipping a cup of tea.

" That guy! Disappearing after getting his powers back so suddenly and not returning after a week…what nerve! And without saying where…"

" Calm down, buchou."

Akeno called on the distressed girl and told her to sit. She offered her a cup of tea, which she accepted, and patted her head.

" Kaito-kun will come back, I'm sure of it."

She glanced at another gloomy girl at the corner.

" Look, even Raynare's doing her best here."

The 4-winged fallen sat on the corner like a lost child while muttering deliriously. Her face was pale, and it was obvious that she was one step short from passing out. She hadn't eaten much these days, and with Kaito's disappearance, she didn't feel like entering his house. A house without him didn't feel quite homey for her.

At least, she wasn't expending her energy aimlessly like Rias.

" Hey, guys. Fiuuhh~ Long day, huh? How're you?"

Kaito appeared from the clubroom's door, greeting them so casually, like he was back from a bathroom break.

" YOU!"

Rias was the first to react. She dashed to him with dangerous eyes, both fists coated with magic.

Not Bael's destruction magic, good for him.

She slammed her fist to his chest, sending him straight to the walls, no, through the walls. Later, he found himself being stuck in the corridor's wall.

Hell hath no fury against woman, alright.

" Owow~ That's your greeting, buchou? And here I brought you some souvenirs."

He showed a bag of red jelly beans to her. She squealed in joy, forgetting her anger. He rubbed the back of his head in confusion, why did she get angry, anyway? It's not like his disappearance would mean something…right?

He made a fatal mistake.

" Ka~i~to~kun~"

Someone with a very creepy aura grabbed his shoulder, with red eyes and a psycho grin on her supposedly beautiful face.

" Uh, Raynare…sama? It hurts."

The fallen angel had grasped his shoulder with immense strength normally impossible for a girl like her. But, she discarded all sense of normalcy right now, more like, she'd thrown that out of the window already.

But, unlike Rias, she let go of her hand with a yelp and suddenly shivered. Her eyes widened and she started sweating a lot. She stared at her hand with disgust like it was some nasty, foreign object glued to her wrist.

" Ray, you okay?"

He closed in and put a hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it immediately. Instead of being hurt, his eyes constricted and his expression hardened. There was something wrong with Raynare's mental condition. She seemed to notice her action and regretted it.

A bit too much for his taste.

She knelt while shivering, muttering 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry' like her life depended on how many times she could say that phrase. He also knelt down and firmly gripped her cheeks, forcing her to look at him in the eyes.

" NOOO!"

Her shriek forced Kaito to back away a bit. She clutched her head, the unwanted memories rushed into her head like a wild stream. The blood in her hands, the cold sensation on her spine, and the feeling of dread when Kaito fell down to her lap, lifeless, felt so very real, to the point she didn't know what was reality anymore. She fell down on the floor, fainted. Kaito sighed and slung her on his shoulder, jumped to the window, and flew away.

" Sorry, buchou. I'm getting her back home."

He already disappeared from sight.

" Hhh~ Guess I'll just visit his house at night as usual, then."

* * *

" Hey, Kaito-nyan~ What happened to her?"

Kuroka lazed around on his bed. As a cat, she'd just sleep around all day, or ask Kaito for a can of tuna occasionally. She'd eat pretty much everything, though, except veggies.

" She freaked out and suddenly fainted. Could you take care of her for a while? I have other things to do for now. I'll not be long, I hope."

Just with that, he left again.

Kaito didn't go to random places so easily, but now, he went to somewhere completely new to him. A moderate house with old model, almost like it was from middle age. But, for untrained commoner's eyes, it looked like a good ol' normal house. Even for him, it was hard to discern with those floating fogs of magic there.

" Yo…Excuse me…"

He sliced through the magic-infused lock and let himself in. He closed the distance between the light from the room in front of him, and what greeted him was…

" F***, THE HELL WAS THAT, FRIGGIN BASTARD?!"

" HAHA~! LOSER'S WHINES~!"

A whole lot of snacks and two guys playing Tekken like maniacs. The brown-haired guy clicked his tongue and elbowed the blonde. He didn't let that off, and slapped the controller off the brunette's grip.

" Oi…"

Both turned back, revealing Issei and an unknown old man with a goatee.

" What?"

" What?"

Their eyes turned to saucers the moment they saw him. Well, Issei's were a bit more impressive than the old blonde goatee guy.

" Having fun? Pervy duo."

Both were using sexy female characters, Chun Li and a woman using fan he didn't know. The fallen angel leader grinned at him and rubbed his goatee, while Issei was beating his character to half death.

" Winner! Chun Li!"

The game's announcement took back the fallen's attention, and he rolled on the floor while leaving wet trail of tears on his way. After rolling around and smacked the wall, he rose and clenched his fists.

" Heheheh~ I've got another surprise for you, Sekiryutei, I AM-"

"By the way, Issei, he's the fallen angel leader, you know, the big guy? Buchou's gonna get real mad if you're with him."

" Nah, that can't be him, especially when it's a pervert with weird habits like him."

Kaito rubbed his head.

" Right…I still wonder why he got chosen."

Both nodded at the silent busted fallen, who gritted his teeth in annoyance, With a grunt, he released all his twelve black feather wings.

" THERE, SEE?! I'm A-Z-A-Z-E-L, the fallen angel leader! The real thing, dammit!"

*clap, clap, clap*

" Oohh~ Congrats~"

" Aza-whatever, you got any game other than Tekken, I wanna play Metal Slug, maybe GTA? That's nice, too."

Kaito clapped with littlest interest, while looking at Issei rummaging his game collection. His shoulders drooped, his wings down. Then, he glanced at them with one eye closed and a tired look on his face.

" You know you're right in front of one of the greatest enemy of devils, right? How can you be so carefree, eh?"

Both Kaito and Issei stared at him strangely and looked at each other, then at him again. Issei put down the controller and laughed.

" I've been doing your requests for weeks now. Why'd you kill me now?"

" And I'm not a devil, so I've got no reason to fear you."

And it turned out that Issei actually had brains for thinking something other than breasts, bust, and chest.

Wow, now that's a surprise.

Azazel heaved a long, heavy sigh, like he was an old man. Well, he was, since he was literally countless years old, counting from the Armageddon or so. He caressed his blonde goatee with a curious smirk on his face.

" Interesting…to think you both aren't afraid of me…youngsters this time are amazing."

" Yeah, like, it's not that you're not someone I'm not wary of."

Kaito pointed at the floor right in front of the fallen angel. He looked down, only to see a sword jutting out from the floor that would cut his crotch in half f he ever tried to go forward. Azazel paled, realizing he was one step away from getting impotent for all eternity. He doubted he'd have the guts to ever leave his house again if his honor as a man was cut off.

" See?"

Azazel gulped, still trying to process how he nearly became impotent. Kaito stood up and Issei followed after throwing the controller back to its box. But, Azazel didn't feel like letting them go just yet.

" Oi. There's gonna be a surprise in your home, kiddo."

He pointed to Kaito with a smirk and patted Issei's shoulder lightly. The duo shrugged him off and walked out, leaving Azazel behind. He also shook his head and went back inside, where a young man with biker suit and silver hand was waiting. He casually greeted the fallen angel leader and flexed his white wings.

" Yo, Vali. This generation's sekiryuutei's pretty interesting, huh?"

The guy called Vali smirked and lightly chuckled, although that didn't dispel the intense atmosphere between them.

" Hmmhh. I think that guy with him is FAR more exciting than my rival. Who knows, he might prove to be an actual challenge."

Meanwhile…

Rias sat inside the STC room with her rival, Sona Shitori, to discuss about the new inevitable threat they were going to face tomorrow.

" It's that accursed day again, isn't it, Sona?"

" Correct, Rias. The day known as…"

Parental Visit Day.

" Morning, Kaito."

"…"

" What are you doing, Buchou?"

" Sleeping with you? Ara, isn't that obvious?"

" But…"

" Hmm?"

" WHY THE HECK ARE YOU NAKED?! _"

She was lying naked on Kaito's bed, facing him and pushing herself closer to him in every way possible. But, Kaito also backed away in response, making her attempt to make him fall by devil's seduction fail, nearly fail.

He pushed his palm against his bleeding nose and pinched it, stopping the excessive waste of blood. Then, he sat up, only to see both Raynare and Kuroka were on top of him, snoring peacefully. His lack of experience kicked in, and he collapsed again on his bed, getting all three of them to be late.

At school….

Kaito slumped to his seat. In a week, all excitement on his transformation had disappeared, although he still drew attention, but at least not a riot like before. Well, he turned his hair to black, but his original silvery-white color still remained as a few strands of his hair. But, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't change his eyes back.

" Oi, bro! Wanna peek today? The kendo girls are changing now."

Issei patted his shoulder, with the Pervy M&M behind him.

" Leave him, Issei. We don't have time!"

" Yeah. Come on!"

They left him in a flash, hungry for a serving of breasts and ass. Really, they needed to keep it in their pants, before the girls sued them for privacy invasion.

He stood up, intending to go for a little walk before going home.

" _A-ah. Kuroka wants to eat salmon today, while Raynare spaghetti. Girls these days are so needy, especially when I cook for them."_

*SMACK*

" Kyaahh!"

He grabbed the one crashing to him out of reflex, and stopped her before touching the ground. With a little pull, she was back on her feet.

Wait, she?

He looked down, and noticed he was holding a girl with long brown hair by hand. He quickly released his hand and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, the girl doing the same. Looking up, the girl was wearing kendo attire, plus a bokken at her other hand.

" You're…Murayama from class 2-B, right? Sorry for that."

" Mm-hm. No need to be so formal, we're from the same class, right? You really need to shape up your confidence."

She closed one of her eyes and patted his shoulder.

" By the way, what were you doing? Shouldn't the kendo club be training now?"

She gasped, remembering what she had to do. Turning back in a flash, she found herself being stopped from running to Issei and beat him up.

" You should leave that pervert to your friends."

" Why?"

Her face showed a little shock.

" Look at them."

She saw the trio had been severely beaten up by all female members of kendo club, they looked like a pile of unrecognizable mincemeat, with bruises all over their body. Kaito made her face him and bowed.

" I am very sorry of his action. But, don't you think his beat-up is already enough?"

" Oh…I see."

She sighed.

" BUT! You'll have to make up for that."

" Eh?"

Later…

" This feels strange…"

The kimono and belt felt a little tight on him. Well, the clothes were spare from the kendo club, and beggars can't be choosers. Murayama stood in front of him, her hands on her hips, also with kendo armor.

" Won't you wear the armor?"

" Nah, I'm good. You can't wear armor in a real fight, anyway, right?"

She took a regular kendo sword and looked at her opponent. Kaito's way of holding the blade was a bit unusual, but she shrugged it off, thinking he didn't know anything about swords.

" Tell me why I'm doing this again?"

" Well, I'd feel bad beating someone innocent senseless, so I might feel a little better if it's a competition."

" So, it's just a cover-up for a beating, huh?"

" Ehehe~ Well, at least, you have a chance to fight back. I'm also a kendo practicioner, you know, so don't hold back."

She assumed a regular kendo stance

" Then, I'll take you up to your offer."

He also put up a stance of his own which was foreign to his enemy. He pulled his sword hand back, aligning it with his shoulder and pointing to the enemy. Right foot to the back, left knee slightly bent.

" You sure?"

" Don't be shy, just come on."

She took that as a provocation and lunged forward, sword lifted. She was aiming for a vertical slash straight to the head for a point while dashing quickly. Well, her speed wasn't bad, and her movements weren't so shabby.

For a human, at least.

And Kaito was anything but humanly.

He stopped her in tracks simply by pushing his sword forward, shocking her to the core. In one motion, he walked and landed one strike on her. She closed her eyes, waiting for imminent impact. The hit never came, so she sighed and looked down, only to see a little hole on her kendo armor.

" Wha-"

She saw Kaito standing about 4 feet behind her, looking at his hand. Her eyes couldn't even follow his movements, it was a blur. Just how fast he was, being able to stab her so accurately after dodging and running away without her noticing?

" _I'm still not used to this dragonic power yet…better be careful."_

He turned to see the awe-struck kendo girl, who nearly fell to her knees.

" It's enough, isn't it?"

He sheathed the bokuto and walked to her, trying to stop her from falling. She struggled to stay on her feet, and by giving herself a good slap, she managed to mow away the leftover shock he left inside. And to think she used to boast about being the best kendo practicioner in the town after winning national championship.

" Hey, why don't you join the kendo club? I bet you can wipe the floor with your enemies easily."

" Nah. I'm not into kendo. You saw my stance, didn't you?"

His stance was anything but kendo. It was more like a stance designed to fight in real battles, not competition. But, how did he become like this? She knew for a fact that Kaito didn't even stand out during sports. And he looked so skinny, she couldn't imagine any muscles could be above his bones.

" Excuse me for a bit…"

She touched his biceps and squeezed a bit. To her surprise, it was tough. Although not so big like the boxers, she felt that he could give them a challenge, and still win in the end. His uniform was always a bit on the loose side, so his build might not have been visible. He then stood up, intending to change, as it was a bit small for him, making him feel restricted.

" I guess I should change, too."

After a few minutes, both of them had already changed (in separate rooms, 'course. Gotcha, perverts.) Kaito was already wearing his original attire. An unzipped jacket over his school uniform with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. Murayama looked at him and compared him to Kaito's previous version.

" _Tch. Those girls…making me go to school with this kind of look…At least I managed to stop them before they force a necklace, too."_

Last week, Raynare and Kuroka basically forced him to go through a complete remodeling. They styled his hair, chose his clothes, and many other things he'd usually neglect. And they nearly included a steel chain necklace that looked absolutely eye-catching, which was his greatest nemesis.

He felt stripped when Murayama's eyes zoomed him from head to toe, especially when she got awfully close to his face.

" Uh…space, please?"

" Oops, my bad. But you really do look different. Not to be rude, but you looked like a geeky guy before. You know, with your bangs covering half of your face."

" I AM Kaito, alright. You're pretty popular in class, with the boys and girls, your gap has Katase, Amane, Yuuka, and the likes, you hate bellpeppers, and pretty much anything green. Your favorite color is…brown, right?"

" Okay, I believe you. If there's one thing I knew from you, it's that you're very aware of your surroundings."

" I sounded like a stalker, actually."

" Not really. Being attentive is a good trait, you know? The girls thought you were a kind, shy guy with mysterious attitude."

" Oh? Now I'm interested…"

They walked along to the class, only to see a swarm of adults blocking their path.

" A-ah. Now this is visit day."

He shrugged the comment and they started pushing their way through the class. They finally succeeded, and were greeted by a pile of clay on their tables. Apparently the teacher wanted to impress the parents by imploring the students' art talent.

" Issei…what's that?"

He opened his mouth in agape after seeing the statue Issei was holding. He couldn't believe his perverted friend of his made a detailed statue of Akeno, and very beautifully, too. Perhaps the SM queen played with him so much that he actually memorized every nook and cranny of her body.

" Meh…I'll focus on this myself. So, just think of what you want to make, was it?"

Kaito fell to a trance. His hands moved by themselves, and sculpted what he was thinking. His favorite item was weapon, mostly swords, but he wouldn't mind others, as long as it's effective and sharp.

" _Geez…you should stop daydreaming about weapons, Kaito. It's not healthy."_

A girl popped to his mind, and his hands stopped. After a brief pause, he continued what he did until he heard a gasp from somebody near him.

" What?"

Normal reaction.

But looks like no one cared about that. They'd rather look at the statue on his table. He turned to his creation and held in a shout. Sure, he had cold hands at arts, mostly because he crafted most of his swords himself, but this was amazing.

In front of him was a figure of a shoulder-length haired girl wielding a katana, with regal face, like she was born as a royalty. Slender figure and how she wielded a katana on her shoulder so easily added more points to her beauty.

" Holy crap. I'm a maestro."

He went home quickly, mostly because the club activities were canceled due to this special day. On the way to the gate, he found Rias waiting, with her siscon brother, Sir Zechs Lucifer. He was like the slightly older male version of her. The same face, same aura of royalty, and the same powers. But, he also saw an unknown old man with crimson hair. \

Geez, was the color hereditary or something?

" Look, I got the photo of little Rias answering questions, your mother will be so happy seeing this!"

" And dad, her shy expression…she's growing up so fast! I can't believe my kid sister has already become such a fine woman!"

Why the heck siscon and daughter-con was also hereditary here? Kaito had no idea.

" Hey, Buchou."

" Kaito! Glad to see you here."

She looked like she wanted to faint out of shame, maybe burying her head in a deep hole would help. The two men glanced at him, Sir Zechs frowning a bit, while the older one smiled widely.

" Ah, you're the man that stormed the hall the other day, aren't you? I am Theomar Gremory, her dad."

" Yes…I'm sorry for the inconvenience. If I may ask, what happened after I…escaped?"

Maintaining his polite attitude, Kaito proceeded to ask the question that had been weighing his mind lately. Rias said that he caused a deep trauma on the defeated phenex to the point of becoming a hikikomori by choice.

" Aahh, about that. I heard that he became so traumatized that when he looked at a toy sword, he shrieked like a little girl and ran back to his room. He also stopped participating in Rating Games because of that as well. Looks like you inflicted quite a trauma on him."

" Well, he DID threaten to demolish the dimension along with him with a crazy psychopathic smile on his face. I can't blame the phenex kid."

Kaito laughed sheepishly. True, all he thought was to teach the arrogant phenex kid a lesson by beating the hell out of him, but hearing people say that made him question his acts. Was he that scary?

They all laughed as they went back home, not noticing a shadowy figure on top of the roof.

" Laugh all you can, It may as well be your last."

* * *

 **There it is~ I'm sorry for the unexpected hiatus, guys. I was emotionally strained lately and just didn't know what to write. I'll be updating more frequently so look forward to it!**

 **Rate and Review. Favoriting would be nice, too.**


	19. Peace and War

**It's been a while since I last updated, hasn't it? I apologize, really. I was a bit possessed by my new story, and got sidetracked…a lot. Well, enough of that, I'm going to start this new chapter! And thank you very much for the 100 followers! *bow*.**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine.**

* * *

The Three Factions had been weakened severely due to the Armageddon many years ago, and the numbers became so little that they all had trouble recovering their numbers. Devils and fallen angels because they had a very low birth rate, while angels because of the errors in God's systems. And not to mention, the stronghold of devils, Kuoh became the center of all kinds of troubles, like, the holy sword incident, fallen angel cadre's war attempts, and perhaps an increased number of stray devils.

" How very annoying…"

Sirzechs Lucifer sighed heavily after inspecting his sister's school life and taking enough pictures to last his sis-con addiction for at least a month. He was happy, alright, but the work there was also immense. For some reasons, Azazel had proposed a meeting there to discuss recent incidents in the town. He also had to stay in Issei's house for several nights, mostly because he wanted to confirm the Red Dragon Emperor's loyalty. He was glad hearing that he would fight to death for Rias, but a bit disgusted knowing that he'd fight for her womanly parts only.

But, the other boy proved to be more of a threat than the Red Dragon Emperor.

Issei was a devil, so if push came to shove, he could just command the evil pieces inside him to self destruct, killing him instantly. But, this Kurayama Kaito wasn't a devil, so he had no influence on him. Moreover, he was a hunter, powerful enough to force him to reveal his true form and cunning enough to unveil his power's origins. The paper Astaroth clan gave him was another thing increasing to his stress.

" Lucifer-sama. Are you okay? You don't look well."

Answering the pawn's worry, he smiled.

" I'm alright. Sleep, Issei-kun."

" If you say so."

He turned his body and proceeded to sleep. The crimson Satan was still deep in thoughts. What could Azazel's intentions be? He had the White Dragon Emperor on his side, and Issei wasn't strong enough to match him. Even he would have trouble fighting both Azazel and Vali Lucifer together.

Tiredness got to him faster than he thought, and he fell to a deep slumber.

* * *

For convenience, Kuoh Academy's students were given full-day holiday during the meeting. It would be bad if some humans came and peeked at their meeting. That would surely cause a riot huge enough to shatter the balance they tried to preserve.

The regular meeting room was turned to a royal one for this occasion. The furniture was switched with mahogany ones, along with some extra chairs to accommodate the numbers of people inside. Rias and her peerage sat behind Sirzehs, Serafall Leviathan and Grayfia on a row of chairs, Archangel Michael with Irina on the other side, and Azazel with Vali on another side.

" Now, let's begin the meeting."

Archangel Michael announced.

" Rias, could you give a detailed report on what happened that time?"

She stood up and inhaled nervously, then cast a glance to her right. The hunter was leaning at the corner, trying hard not to stand out. He noticed her glance, and nodded. She walked forward confidently and started explaining Kokabiel's attack last week. Surprisingly, her voice was clear and she didn't waver at all.

" And that was everything I, Rias Gremory, and my peerage had experienced."

She exhaled, swallowing her nervousness back in.

" Good job, Rias."

" Nice, Rias-chan!"

A teenage girl beside Sirzehs clapped her hands happily. If memory served him right, that girl was the cosplayer that caused a huge riot during the Parents Visit with her Magical Girl Costume and photo sessions. She was dressed in formal green clothes and her black hair was tied in two pigtails. That girl, as unconvincing as she might be, was Serafall Leviathan, formerly Serafall Sitri, elder sister of Sona.

" Now, Azazel. Mind explaining what happened there?"

" I told you that already…He'd gone and declared war on his own accord. He's always been a battle freak, that guy. Nothing I and Shemsazai told him worked. I believe you read the report I gave you, right?"

The other leaders nodded.

" Actually, I have this suspicion that you might have the same intention, Azazel. I've heard you're collecting sacred gear users to add to your ranks. And honestly, my worries intensified when I heard you had the White Dragon Emperor as your vanguard."

" That's right. Do explain, Azazel."

The fallen leader sighed at all accusations thrown at him. He yawned and replied casually.

" I'm only interested in analyzing those gears. Balance breaker, evolution, and mutations? Awesome! But, I'm no fan of war, especially at this age. Damn, is my trust the least? To think I've been sending you research data, too."

" That's right."

" I understand."

Azazel grinned at his success. He was right. They hated wars as much as he did, so this surprise he prepared might even work.

" Aaah, then, why don't we make peace? That's why we actually gather here, isn't it?"

" Hmph. You never fail to surprise me, brother."

Michael sighed at his former brother's antics and smiled.

" We accept."

" Us devils, too."

Azazel glanced at the Heavenly Dragons and smirked.

" Why don't we ask these dragons about their opinions about peace? Hey, Vali. What do you think of peace?"

The silver haired male looked up and rubbed his chin. After thinking for a while, he smirked smugly at everyone there.

" I don't care, as long as I can get some good fights."

Azazel shrugged and turned to Issei.

" Well, how about you? Peace or not?"

Issei looked pretty confused with all those political things, so Kaito took the initiative to make it a little simpler for him. If this went on, his poor brain could overheat and explode.

" If it's peace, you can do basically anything to Akeno without worry. But, if it's war, you'll die young as a soldier."

Issei shot up and punched the air.

" PEACE! PEACE FOR LIFE! BANZAI!"

His passion for peace was fueled by his balls. What an irony.

" See? Both of them agreed, Michael, too, even if you were all 'God, God' before. The world's changing to a better place now, isn't it?"

All that was present smiled at his words.

" Maybe we have no God, but, so what? We're still breathing and living our lives happily. The world moves on even without God."

He spread his arms to end his impressive speech. Perhaps this failure of a leader had some kind of good qualities, after all.

" Uh, Sorry to break it, but I don't think God could be killed."

All eyes were focused on him instantly.

" What?"

" Well, you know. You said God drew power from faith of His believers, right? Considering the amount of energy he absorbed from them every second, I think He lost power, but still alive, regaining strength."

Azazel put his hand below his chin.

" That's possible. There's a chance that He collected enough power to sustain His soul even after His body diminished."

" And you know, a divine being is different from us."

They all nodded slightly at him, agreeing his speculation. Michael in particular was quite overjoyed to hear that the system he maintained so hard still worked for his Father. His perseverance finally had paid off.

" And I believe Issei's got some question for you."

He pointed to the pawn sitting behind Sirzehs. Immediately, he stood up and straightened himself. Someone couldn't afford to be messy in front of the strongest archangel. He could possibly blast him to ashes with a flick of his fingers, after all.

" Michael-san. Can you explain about Asia's and Xenovia's exile?"

The archangel sighed. It was the third time someone actually confronted him about the system. Maybe he should take Hiiro's advice and check it himself before agreeing with whatever it wanted. He stood up and got closer to the young part-dragon.

" Issei, was it? About Xenovia and Asia, I can only ask for your forgiveness."

He glanced at Asia and Xenovia and nodded, then turned back to him.

" The Heaven's system is in disarray. With God's absence, it is barely operating with me as its center. As a result, the blessings we can give is strictly limited. The holy items aren't as powerful as they were before. Miracles also happen far less frequently than before. I can't let anything to jam the system and possibly break it."

" Like Xenovia's knowledge and Asia's gear?"

" Yes. Asia's gear has experienced a peculiar change. Now, it's able to heal devils and perhaps anything the user desires. Xenovia's knowledge is also threatening. Those can bring harm to the system, as our powers are linked to their belief. I apologize, but there was no other way but to make you outcasts."

He sincerely bowed to the two of them.

" I fixed the system a bit, so make sure you don't stray off again, Michael. I don't want to see someone like Jeanne, Asia, and Xenovia again."

Kaito glared at the archangel, emphasizing the 'Jeanne' part. Asia clasped her hands in from of her chest and closed her eyes.

" Please don't be, Michael-sama. Right now, I am happy. I've finally found the place that belongs to me, and the friends who smile at me. I was sad, but I have something much more precious in my hands, and I don't want to let it go."

Azazel laughed at the conversation heartily. He grinned to Michael and spoke.

" Look at that. You've grown, brother. It seems the world really is becoming a better place."

" Right."

" That's true."

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, the room was enveloped in a barrier that froze everyone inside in time, except Rias, Issei, Vali, Xenovia, Kaito, Akeno, and the leaders. The student council group was immobile. Then, something exploded outside.

Kaito rushed to the window and grimaced at the sight. The guards were being butchered by some shady hooded people floating on magic circles. They were helpless, as they weren't strong enough to repel the invading power. Suddenly, Rias widened her eyes in realization.

" It's Gasper! I can't believe they're using him for this!"

She cried out in anger. Grayfia stepped in and prepared a magic circle.

" I have an unused rook piece back in the club room. Pinpoint the piece as teleportation target."

" Castling, is it? Very well, but you should bring someone else with you."

She turned to Kaito, only to see him and Vali jumping out of the window. She sighed and turned to Issei. He nodded and they were immediately transported to the clubroom where the dhampir was held captive.

"COME ON!"

Kaito bellowed a challenge to all the enemies present. He brandished two katanas and unfurled his dragon wings. The enemy's focus was on him instantly, and he smirked at their attention. His image blurred and suddenly he was wearing a red kimono with flower pattern and 'Death' on his back, blazing tails coming out from his behind.

" Hmph, so that's your true color, eh?"

Vali entered his balance breaker like it was nothing and hovered beside him. It was a dragonic white armor with two majestic wings jutting out from his back. Kaito, however, didn't pay much attention to the dragon and focused himself on the area 10ms nearby. A magician who carelessly came near him and entered his sphere suddenly found himself looking at his own severed half.

" What?"

He barely muttered as he descended to earth, blood pooling below him. His brethren held their breath and Kaito leveled his sword above his chest. Silence befell them and suddenly, Kaito flew forward, cutting down several fodders in an instant. Bodies fell down from the sky, but more reacted and started bombarding him with various magic spells.

" Too weak."

He swiped his hand, and obliterated the spells along with their casters altogether. But, a woman with glasses entered the fray, and she was somehow a little stronger than the rest. She adored a smug smile on her face, like she was the highest being present.

" Let's see if THIS is weak!"

She shot several ethereal hands that race to him and exploded on contact.

" HA!"

She laughed triumphantly, thinking that she'd killed him already. But, only amateurs used moves that would cloud their enemies from sight.

" Like I said, too WEAK."

Kaito stood there unharmed. He literally cut through the arms she sent out. The woman seemed bewildered, but maintained her composure. She smirked and put her hands on her hips.

" Boy, you've got strength. How about joining us? It'll be fun."

" It's hard to be interested to join a random organization with a perverted glasses girl with exhibitionism tendencies."

He pointed at the clothes which barely covered her private parts.

" You should ask that sorry excuse of a leader over there. He might get interested in your way of clothing."

She gained a tick mark, two, then three on her forehead, and shouted.

" WHO DO YOU THINK I AM, INSOLENT BOY?! I AM KATAREA LEVIATHAN, THE TRUE MAOU!"

" So what?"

Her face was already purple like the magician's robes, and magic circles covered her whole body instantly.

" DIE!"

From the magic circles, hands emerged and aimed at Kaito, lashing out rapidly. Kaito already rested his hands on his sheathed katana, ready for impact. But, the guy he just randomly mocked appeared in front of him, arms stretched to resist the bombards.

" Care to repeat what you said about me? You little snotty brat."

" I've got nothing to say to a shameless bearded crow."

Azazel was right in front of him, pale light barrier on his arm. He then turned back and looked at Kaito with stern eyes.

" I'm not a pervert. Just someone who appreciates women's beauty."

" Anything that makes you feel better. Now, the lady's waiting. Bye."

He pointed at Katarea and flew away to massacre another hundreds of magicians with Vali. Azazel sighed and turned at the woman. He took a yellow knife-sized lance from his robes and rubbed his back head with another hand.

" Youngsters these days…They have no respect to elders. Well, it's not like I want respect, anyway."

" What's that?"

" Oh, this? Just a hobby of mine."

He raised the lance high and lowered it. In an instant, he was covered in golden light covering his whole body. When the light dissipated, he was covered in a full-body armor with a two-pronged spear at hand.

" **[[Downfall dragon spear]]**. Like I said, this is my hobby, Sacred Gear making."

" Tch! To think a faction leader like you needs to rely on mere tools…You've fallen hard, Azazel."

She summoned several hundreds of magic circles, all spewing out blasts of demonic energy to the fallen. Noticing he was holding well, she decided to play her trump card. The circles changed to that of purple ones with a snake biting its own tail. The moment she did that, the blasts intensified, both in quantity and quality.

" _I can't hold this much longer…but if my life is worth one faction leader, then so be it!"_

With that in mind, Katarea stopped and switched her magic to creepy swarm of limbs that latched to Azazel's arm. A maniac grin appeared on her face, and the supposedly rather beautiful turned too grotesque for the angel's taste.

" These arms suck on my life force. I'll die, but you're coming with me!"

" I'll give you one arm, at least."

He nearly cut off his own arm when a blade made of pure spirit energy sliced through the air, severing the arms like hot knife through butter, along with a great number of magicians unlucky enough to get caught in its way.

" WHA-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Azazel's spear pierced her mouth and completely disintegrated her. He glanced down, seeing Kaito giving a thumbs-up, then going back to hacking mages to headless corpses.

" The nerve of that boy…ah, whatever."

He chuckled heartily and was suddenly struck from behind.

Meanwhile…

Issei and Rias marched through the dark corridors. Some mages were placed there to guard the ritual. They both could hear Gasper's sobs from inside the room at the end of the route. Enraged, Issei deployed [[Boosted Gear]] and plowed through the mages. He summoned a sword that radiated both holy and dragonic aura and started slashing down the mages mercilessly.

" Blow away!"

She shot a block of red energy to the rest of the enemies. They were sitting ducks, considering how narrow the corridor was. All they could do was disintegrate silently. After clearing the path, they both marched inside only to find Gasper tied up on a silver cross with the witches around his chanting spells in Old Tongue, the language of the Gods.

" Celtic witches…this is going to be a problem. Issei, protect me. I'll disrupt the ritual."

" Why, buchou? Can't we just beat them up like the others?"

" No time to explain. Now, come on!"

She also knelt down and channeled her power to the tongue, then started chanting in ancient devil language. Celtic witches were known for their brutal rituals and sacrifices. Their god, Morrigan was also one of the malevolent gods that demanded blood in turn for her services, and they would be glad to give her some. She had to shake their beliefs by attacking in another language to disrupt their synchronization.

" Appear, Morrigan!"

" Disappear to the deepest abyss, you crow!"

Both parties finished at the same time, with two different verses. Fortunately, Rias managed to banish the god back to where it came from. She could see they already sacrificed two of their men, so they had reduced their numbers in vain.

But, there was one little problem.

She couldn't move due to exhaustion.

Issei was holding out fine by himself, but he would soon be overwhelmed. In this airtight space, Issei couldn't afford to blow things up like usual, so he had to rely on his hand-to-hand combat skills. He'd boost occasionally, but the enemies were strengthened. Even though the ritual failed, they received quite a bit of power already.

" I didn't expect this. Celtic witches? Now this is annoying."

She breathed in relief after hearing that familiar voice. A boy with night black hair with silver streaks swooped in, sword drawn. In a blink of an eye, he blurred and reappeared with Rias, Gasper and Issei on his arms. He threw them out of the window, specifically to his solid seals to cushion their landings.

" Now, let's give you a taste of your own medicine."

He snapped his fingers and all the windows closed off all the exits. He clapped his hands and runes appeared on the walls and practically everywhere inside the room. One of the witches shuddered, as she was a scribe, thus understanding what the runes meant.

" Burn, suffer, pain, incinerate, shock, and seal…These are the highest strata of divine words…We can't interfere."

" That's right. You Celtic witches value 'noble' sacrifices, right? Let's see if your god is appeased by _your_ deaths."

With one last smirk, he teleported out of the room, letting his runes do the honor for him. From inside, muffled screams and cries could be heard, more than enough to shatter a normal human's sanity.

He returned to the battlefield, only to find Azazel buried six feet under.

" Really?"

30 seconds ago...

Azazel had just deactivated his armor and pocketed the remaining purple jewel. It seemed like he purposely overloaded the gear to activate the armor for a period of time. However, it wasn't strong enough to maintain the power, thus breaking to pieces.

But, he was suddenly punched down to the ground, literally burying him six feet under. He climbed up and sighed tiredly at the figure who wanted to send him to an early grave.

" Vali…I've expected this, but I'll ask anyway. Why?"

He looked at the armored figure overhead. His face was covered by mask, but he could tell he was smirking dangerously at this moment.

" My bad, Azazel. This side seems more fun."

" Hhh…You're pissed 'cause I forbid you from challenging Asgard, huh?"

He disregarded that comment and turned to Issei. His eyes analyzed his rival and measured his power, then he compared it to his own, giving a sneer at the result.

" Hyoudou Issei, don't you think fate is unfair?"

He spread his arms and undid his helmet, revealing his smirking face.

" I am a hybrid born from a human woman and the grandson of Lucifer. And to top it all, I also happen to possess [[Divine Dividing]]. If there's something called miracle, it would be me. You, on the other hand, were born from a normal set of parents. Your mom is a normal housewife, while your father is a regular salaryman."

" Speak Japanese, dolt."

The Hakuryuukou gained a tick mark on his forehead, but continued nonetheless.

" It would be better if your parents had some lineage or something, but alas. I know, how about I kill off your parents? Then you can be an avenger! That should be a better end for them than dying due to old age."

Isse was completely ticked off by now. He exuded a massive amount of red and green aura, ready to burst anytime. His hand reached to an amulet given to him by Azazel, then he yanked it off to activate the magic stored inside.

" SCREW YOU, VALI!"

 **{Welsh dragon Over Booster!}**

His body was suddenly clad in red armor with similar fashion to Vali. The booster on his back roared, and he lunged forward, ready to give Vali a piece of his mind. He rocketed and cocked his fist back. Vali just crossed his arms in defense, not making any attempt to escape. It might be good to test his rival's strength first, to see whether he's good enough or not.

*BAM*

To his surprise, he was knocked back a few feet by Issei's punch. His forearms felt hot and he grinned as his battle maniac tendencies kicked in. Both of them disappeared to jagged lines of red and blue, clashing in mid-air.

" Good, good! Hyoudou Issei!"

" If you think I'll let you kill my parents for such idiotic reason…suck it! I'm gonna beat that idea out of your head!"

Issei landed a hard punch on Vali's abdomen, then a harsh uppercut to his chin, shattering his helmet. He staggered back and coughed blood.

" Good enough. If your parents can trigger such reactions…I wonder what'll happen if I kill your friends!"

He used his wings to send out a barrage of magic bullets, heading straight at Koneko, Kiba, and Asia. His eyes widened and he jumped straight to Asia as quickly as possible.

" Issei-san!"

" Yo, Asia. You okay?"

He gritted his teeth in pain. That barrage of bullets was powerful enough to crack the dragon's scales he called his armor.

" Let's make this more interesting."

 **{Half Dimension}**

With Albion's announcement, white wave from Vali's wings washed the whole school. Without warning, the whole space suddenly shrunk. Azazel rubbed his goatee in interest while the others were panicking. How could they not be? The space itself was halved. The school, the terrain, and even their bodies were affected by Vali's magic.

" Now, this is trouble…Hey, Sekiryuutei over there."

" What?"

" Let me explain. Vali is going to half everything inside his range."

" Huh? What are you talking about?"

" Well, in short, your lovely Himejima Akeno's breasts will be mercilessly halved if this goes on."

He didn't understand Azazel's ranting, but he understood one thing. If this went on, Akeno's cup size would be halved. Her softness and supple firmness would be halved! And most of all…His pride's size would be halved!

" DON'T FREAKING SCREW WITH ME, YOU GODDAMN BASTARD!"

The ground cracked under pressure. His power skyrocketed, shocking all the spectators around him. He jumped forward, slamming his iron fist to Vali's chest.

" That is for Akeno's breasts!"

Then, a kick to the chin followed.

" Asia's budding breasts!"

A bone-cracking head-butt hit him next.

" Xenovia's breasts!"

And finally, he sent a devastating elbow straight to Vali's unarmored face.

" That is for the breasts that will completely disappear if halved. Koneko's loli breasts!"

Vali slammed to the ground hard, his armor completely destroyed. He staggered, then stood up again.

" Hey, Albion. Do you think he's good enough to witness juggernaut drive?"

{ Don't be stupid, Vali! Do you wish to be at my power's mercy?!}

The white dragon warned his partner. Indeed, juggernaut drive was an illegal move that would take user's life force as payment. Not only that, his sanity would also be gone, swallowed by the ridiculous power of the white dragon.

" Listen to him, Vali. If you enter juggernaut drive, then I'll also have to interfere."

Kaito stepped forward, from a spectator to a participant. He was back to his base form, but he was more prepared than ever. He acted reckless before just to draw the enemies to him. With them already gone, he could concentrate on disposing the opponents he had.

" He's right. Besides, our job here is done."

A man in traditional Chinese armor and a hooded guy appeared. He put his hand on Vali's shoulder, effectively taking his attention.

" Oh, Jack, Bikou, you're here."

The hooded man took off his hoodie, revealing a young man with auburn hair. His face looked like a clown, but he had black glasses to cover his eyes. He took Vali's position and spared a glanced at his opponents.

He forgot to look behind.

Kaito swung his sword in a deadly arc which would have separated his head from the body, but a flurry of black claws jutted out from his back and blocked his katana.

" Ara, hello, hunter."

" Greetings, ripper."

They exchanged greetings while clashing swords. The way they did it was so casual, like friends slapping each others in the back. Kaito fell back and lifted his sword up and materialized another in his left hand.

" Rias and others, stay back. I'm going all out. If we're lucky, there might not be any casualties."

Kaito was strong enough to go toe-on-toe with his brother in terms of magic, although he was eventually overpowered, but it was more than a great feat. Now, facing this random guy, Kaito had to be serious? Was her brother really strong or not?

" Ara, devil missy over there. It's not always strength that decides the course of a battle."

He gave off a creepy cackle from his mouth. He used blood red lipstick that extended to his cheeks. It looked like his mouth was far bigger than a normal person, extending far like Joker from Batman.

To prove it, he suddenly shot out claw-like blades from his sleeve, heading straight to Kaito at nearly impossible speed. His battle instincts kicked in, as he brought his arms up in speed surpassing the blades and covered his forearms with sharp, short blades.

With a loud clang, the blades attacking him were all shattered, leaving him unharmed.

" Tch!"

Blades jutted out from Kaito's arms, and he raced straight to the so-called ripper. Once he reached favorable distance, he ducked to surprise his enemy and sliced upward. The ripper stumbled back and completely removed his cloak. He swung the ragged fabric and blades came out from the inner side of it. Kaito did a back handspring to avoid getting cut in half and landed on his feet.

However, Jack didn't stop there. He slammed his cloak to the ground, and spikes jutted out from the ground, racing towards him. Kaito spun, bringing two huge chunks of metal from the ground using magic. The metal chunk was molded so quickly and turned to a thick iron wall. The spikes left a huge hole, but couldn't pierce through the shield. Then, he pushed the shield and turned it to plasma using human magic, shooting it as a huge burst of energy.

The result was astounding.

The whole school building across him was completely vaporized.

Jack the ripper had already gone, hopefully vaporized along with the school building. But, from the tattered cloak on the ground, he came out, only a bit burnt.

" Fyuuh~ Didn't expect you to spit out a strike like that. You've gotten weaker, eh? If it were the previous you, I would've found myself stabbed by countless swords in my own domain. Well, that's a good thing, though."

Kaito got a tick mark on his forehead and moved forward. Suddenly, an X mark appeared on the ripper's neck and his head fell down while gushing lots of blood.

" Who's weak, huh?"

Kaito was already wiping the blood off his sword. He looked at the dead carcass and scoffed.

" Get up. You can't be killed that easily, Jack the Ripper."

He kicked the head which rolled back to his body, and it suddenly turned to a wooden doll that looked exactly like him. Beside it, the real Jack appeared, rubbing his nearly decapitated neck.

" _I didn't even see him moving! How did he move so fast?!"_

" No matter how weakened I am, I'll never be defeated by the likes of you."

What Kaito did looked like a simple iai, but it was two slashes in one swift motion. First, he sliced from the front, then when he passed the enemy, he slashed once again from the other side. That explained the 'X' cut on his neck.

" If you could defeat him that easily, why did you have to destroy half of the school first, Kurayama Kaito?"

Sona Sitri fixed her glasses and glared at him with great intensity. It was her who had to repair the school, not him, so she had every right to be angry.

" I had to weaken him first. That move just now, it expended a huge amount of energy. It was like a voodoo spell, but with the opposite. He turned the doll to himself."

" I see. Your reason is justifiable."

" Right? It's totally not because I wanted to skip school tomorrow because I'm lazy or anything. Hahaha~"

Sona's eyes twitched in annoyance, but she had to agree with him. His 'reason' was rational, although the other one was just a way to make her work extra hard.

" You owe me a chess battle, Kaito-kun."

" Okay. But, I'll have to postpone it until next week. I have some….personal issues after this."

The man named Bikou grabbed the ripper and returned to Vali's side.

" Vali, we're engaging the north gods after this. Prepare yourself."

He spun his staff and smashed it to the ground. A puddle of darkness pooled below them, acting as a portal.

" And do you really think I'll let you escape unhurt?"

" Will you? Your clan is in trouble, by the way."

His expression steeled, and he fished out his smart-phone he previously pocketed. He opened it and saw about 10 messages from his clan.

" I have to go."

He summoned a portal and disappeared.

* * *

In snowy plains, two forces bared their fangs against each other. One was composed of Greek monsters, mostly earthborns, Cyclops, empousas, giant spiders, chimeras, manticores, and several batches of countless monsters. There were also several drakons plowing the enemy forces. They might not be as powerful as dragons, but they were still big and poisonous. The other force wasn't weak either. There were about 500 soldiers composed of samurai and cavalries, plus a batch of monsters like demons and large flying snakes. About 100 tengus also fought in the sky against griffons from Greek army.

" Young master, where is back-up? Where are the extra forces?!"

One of the high commanders from the Japan army cried out to the phone. A ninja slashed an ice giant and said.

" Our duty is to hold off until master arrives. Believe him!"

" That's right. He won't neglect us."

A priest in black clothing stabbed his staff to the ground, and weapons erupted, annihilating a squadron of enemies instantly. As soon as he said that, a magic circle glowed in the corner and from it came out Kaito.

He filled his lungs with air, preparing to scream.

" STAND DOWN!"

With words filled with magic, he effectively stopped the carnage. His words had power to charm both friends and foes. He marched across the field and stabbed his sword to the ground.

" I can't believe you attack my force without a leader."

" HUH?! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! SCRAM, KID!"

He took out his sword and spun it in fast motion.

" Me? I'm this clan's master. Aka-oni, Kuro, Asura, Shara, take care of them. Fix 'em up to the best of your abilities."

His four lieutenants saluted and left immediately.

" No one…"

He slashed his sword on the ground behind him, drawing a straight line separating his forces from the enemies. From that line, a thin wall of energy erupted, marking the border.

"…Shall get through here. It's you all and me, barbarians."

He spared a glance at his men. Many were injured. Some tengus were shot down. They were lucky the Greeks hadn't brought out their catapults and ballistae yet. If those monstrosities had been brought out first, he might not have been able to see them alive.

" _But, why? That should've given them the upper hand in this war."_

He put his hand below his chin, thinking.

" But, is it possible?"

He thought of the most likely scenario and hoped it wouldn't have to happen. Well, he'd cross that line if that did happen, so it's fine.

" Hey."

" Yes, master!"

" How many of them there are?"

He was a tengu, so he was used to spying from the sky. Not to mention their sharp eyes. Tengus really were top-class air support he could ask.

" A-about 2000 men.

" _As I thought, those monsters…"_

Without another word, he exhaled and calmed down his energy. The wind blew hard and a hail started to storm the battlefield. He stepped into the cold fog without hesitation, sword drawn. This time it wasn't just his regular bronze blade.

He drew his collections of swords. In his right hand, Galatine, left hand, Arondight. In his mouth, Deucalion, and finally Clarent floating beside him.

4 holy swords versus an army? No big deal. Plus, he's got some other surprises if that weren't enough.

He smashed through a phalanx of enemies like a demon. Greek monsters burst to dust when killed, so he wouldn't have to worry about cleaning up. One slash took about 5 monsters instantly, and he unleashed a lot of it. His hands looked like they multiplied, sending after-images that mercilessly brought chaos to enemy ranks.

" Run! He's a monster!"

Irony, those words were coming from the literal monsters. But, the enemies started to keep their distance. Considering he was wielding close range weapons. He _should_ be at disadvantage. Instead of losing his cool, he let go all of his swords and let them float just above his head. Then, he started to draw runes in front of him.

" Surge, thunder."

The runes glowed with power and black clouds gathered above. The rain poured down, although most of it turned to snow before touching the ground. But, the lightning strikes couldn't be frozen. They struck down the bowmen before they could pull an arrow. After that, Kaito wreathed his whole body in white flames, raising the temperature to ambient up to 10 kilometers radius.

The flames swelled and gathered around him, lifting him off the ground. The fire formed a face, then limbs, then turned to a 50 feet warrior purely made of flames and energy.

" Holy Tartarus…what the heck?"

The dracaena warriors, who were half human, half snake, gasped in fear. Even the tallest of Cyclops wouldn't be able to get past 25 feet! And this supposedly little man just soared higher and higher, and turned to a literal fire giant.

Kaito moved back his arm, and the huge giant followed. That huge fiery fist slammed down and vaporized a chunk of enemy's soldiers instantly, not even dust remained. He raised his sword, and the giant unsheathed a katana made of solid flames. He swiped he huge sword across enemy's ranks, and wiped out several hundred easily.

The war turned on his favor immediately. He stepped on them like ants and wiped the rest with his flaming blade. Not to mention, the giant had fire breath. How cool was that?

The snowy plains were reduced to wet wasteland the moment he was done annihilating all of them. And also, the storm from the spell he cast before helped. Every time the enemy wanted to snipe him from somewhere, a random lightning turned them to a smoking pile of ash. Even a fire giant had weakness. Noticing there was no enemy left, he disabled the fire giant and descended. Waiting below him was a huge amount of golden dust. He returned to his clansmen, preparing for a full-scale war which could come anytime.

* * *

 **It's done! How do you think? Please leave a review to let me know your opinion. Good day, guys!**


	20. War Strategies & Clouded Past

**Sorry for the delay, guys. I was a little occupied with mid-terms and a storm of tests. The good thing is I'm done, and ready to write some more.**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine.**

* * *

After repelling the first wave of assault, Kaito told his soldiers to set up a camp there and stand guard. The injured ones were carried to the village and given proper treatment. Yuki-Onnas were good at healing, after all. Kaito, Aka-Oni, and his ninja bodyguards were in a meeting with the village's elder.

Well, elders, but yokais didn't age like humans. Instead of getting old and wrinkly over age, they became even more powerful and magical. Standing in front of him was a woman in her late 20s with white hair and very pale skin. Her eyes were cold and dead, like the sharp edge of frozen stalagmites.

" Thank you for coming and saving our humble village, young master. We can't thank you enough."

" It's my job to make sure none of my clan members get hurt. So, don't mention it."

A maiden came in and served a tray filled with cups of tea in front of them. He mumbled 'thank you' and drank the warm milk tea. It was something nice, considering the mountain was a little too cold for his taste. He put his cup down after finishing the whole content.

" Do you have any idea why those monsters came? Even though they're barbarians, I don't think they'll attack a village so casually like this."

The elder looked uneasy, and started fidgeting. She twirled the locks of her hair, looked away, and did basically anything someone nervous would do.

" Don't tell me…you stole something from them or something?"

" No, nothing like that! It's just…a month ago, they sent an ambassador, seeking to marry all of us to their males."

" I'm listening."

" Of course, we refused. But, they were persistent. They continued sending ambassadors, and even resorted to assaulting our villagers who had gone outside the village. We endured, until one of us was nearly raped. One of us was furious, and murdered the molester in cold blood. But, Greek monsters were immortal. They could reform again and again. So, the news spread fast, and they sent us an ultimatum."

" To give the one who murdered the molester and surrender to them?"

" Yes. They openly gave out what they wanted to do with her, and us for that matter. They were barbarians, after all."

" Greek isn't barbaric, you know. The monsters are, but the people…they're the pinnacle of civilization back in the days. But, yeah. That sounded quite barbaric to me."

" The worst part is they have us completely outnumbered. I heard the minotaurus and ventis are coming. They have the worst compatibility with us, brute strength and storm manipulation. The other elders are pushing me to give her to them to end this war."

" Wait, so you're the only one opposed? What's your relationship with her?"

She looked down, dejected.

" She's my only daughter."

* * *

He strolled down the mountain, looking for a place to calm his nerves. His body already accustomed to bone-chilling temperature there, and felt a little colder than air conditioner right now.

" Hhh…In the end, I'm just helping a mother to save her daughter. I really can't believe there's someone so heavily ostracized because she held the soul of Shirayuki in her."

During the conversation earlier, she told him about her daughter's unusual abilities. She could cast the purest of snow essence without freezing her soul as payment. She retained her full sanity despite using yokai powers so casually.

He heard a loud roar, then clanging of metals. Fearing of an assault on a villager, he rushed to help, a katana at hand. The katana was made of celestial bronze, a kind of rare metal used by Greek heroes to exterminate immortal monsters. One little cut, and they'd disintegrate to a pile of ashes.

Zecrow really provided him with a little too much material.

Down the snowy hill, he saw a flash of sword and a huge figure. He used his dragon vision and saw a girl with white hair and familiar earphones on her neck, wielding a crude ice sword. Before losing himself in thought, he descended and threw a blade at her.

" Use this!"

She skillfully caught it, and slashed her enemy diagonally. Blood gushed out of its wound, and it let out a heavy roar out of pain. He finally reached her, and saw the monster she was fighting against.

A huge brown monster with white fur on its neck and huge talons on its 4 limbs. It was a wendigo, a creature that was supposed to hide in caverns to avoid contacts with humans.

She raised her new blade high and stabbed it on the monster's foot. It growled and smacked her away with its paw. She was sent flying and her blade skittered away. The blade itself was fully made of magical ice, with runes on the blade and golden roses as its guard. The pommel was also made of gold. Kaito caught the monster before it could reach her and pulled its feet, making it fall down. Then, he kicked her sword to her, and stabbed his own sword at the wendigo.

One thing he forgot was that wendigos had a really tough hide.

The blade didn't pierce through because he put too little strength to it. Before it could rake its claws on his face, she already grabbed her sword and stabbed it to the ground. Blades of ice protruded from the ground and pierced its body. She swung her sword and a blast of cold air exploded on its torso.

" Nice!"

Kaito jumped up and slammed all his weight on the pommel of his sword. It stabbed through and embedded itself in the snowy rocks, all the way to the hilt. The wendigo turned to a pile of fur and ice, leaving the katana behind.

She fell to the ground, relieved. She had just defeated an abominable ice monster that lurked in the caves near her village, although she initially just wanted to take a walk. As a gentleman, Kaito approached that girl and offered his hand.

" You okay? That monster smacked you hard before."

She smiled and took his hands. He looked at her and noticed something familiar in her, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was. If only he could get a nice headphone and a scarf…

" _Well, can't be helped. I'll just take her back and worry later."_

He pulled her up and they walked together until they reached the village. As he expected, the villagers gave her dirty looks, as if she were the cause of all the problems befalling them. He shrugged and took her back to the elder's house.

" Hana! I was worried!"

" Mom!"

They hugged, leaving a dumb-founded Kaito. He couldn't see her face quite well before and didn't really bother to, but after hearing that name, the last piece of puzzle clicked. He shakily raised his hand and pointed at Hana.

" Hana…Shirayuki? You're Snow?"

" It's hard to notice me with kimono, isn't it?"

" And your scarf, your headphones…Man, you really fooled me."

She smiled at him.

" Well, this is my original village. I live here."

He staggered, and limped out of the house.

" Kaito-kun?"

" I…need some time."

He opened the door, and closed it, leaving her behind. Once he was outside, he rushed out of the village in top speed, allowing no one to see but a slight blur from him. In mere seconds, he had already been outside the borders.

He sat on a huge rock, trying to swallow what just happened.

Flashback….

 _Young Kaito fell to his bed, after a long day. As usual, he took out his earphones and plugged his ears with them. He sang quietly while listening to the song to relax. Then, a pale delicate hand touched his cheek gently._

" _Hmm~ I love this song."_

" _Yuki-nee! It's cold…"_

 _She retracted her hand from his cheek with a yelp. After a while, they laughed happily. The girl was clad in pale blue kimono with purple sash, her long white hair swayed from the night's calm winds._

 _She rested her arms on his head, carefully toning down her coldness to normal level. As a thought being, she was able to feel what he felt and understood his mind._

" _You…seem to have a lot on your mind. Mind sharing it with me?"_

 _He pulled off his earphone and sighed. For a 13 year old male, he looked far more mature and older compared to others. From that age, he'd had to deal with problems from both real world and the supernatural one._

 _From experience, he knew that the ones called monsters weren't only those with scary face, or weird body, but those who could break others without breaking a sweat mentally. He learned that bullies and socialists killed far more people than the most notorious monsters known to mankind._

" _Is it about Akane?"_

 _His blush marked her jackpot. Akane Shinomiya, a hunter girl who had been nothing but kind to him, always being with him. He had loved her with all his heart, and was ready to give up everything for her. He fought an entire army to make sure she didn't have to sacrifice herself and opened his heart to her._

" _I think…I'm going to ask her out."_

 _Her face was unreadable for a moment before returning to her usual amused smile._

" _So? Just do it! Make sure you do it properly, though."_

 _His face darkened._

" _I don't know, Yuki-nee…She's such a great girl. I love her, but…do I deserve her? If I embarrass her, shouldn't it be better for us to just stay like this? I don't want to lose her."_

 _She rolled her eyes and hugged him. Her embrace was cold, but it was comfortable. Her pine smell filled the air._

" _You're too hard on yourself, Kaito. If she truly cares for you, she won't reject you harshly. If she loves you, I bet she'll jump around screaming. She's been with you for a year and half, she's seen your true self. Whether or not she accepts, you'll have the relief of having someone you can trust nearby."_

"… _I guess. Well, tomorrow's a date, then."_

* * *

" Yuki-nee. I thought you already passed on…Why didn't you tell me?"

" Tell you what?"

She loomed over him then sat beside him. He buried his face in his arms and knees, hiding his face from her.

" For example, how are you even alive?"

She pondered for a while. One hand on the chin, one supporting the arm.

" Well, you know how hunters leave their bodies as thought forms and wander for a while. Mine took far longer than most, 2 years to be exact."

" Ah, that time when I somehow woke up in the street and caused a major car crash? Or that time when I used enough power to plunge the city to total blackout for a week?"

" Both. You're too powerful for your own good."

He laughed lightly at her retort. True, he'd caused so much trouble back before he could control his powers. He couldn't even make a sword properly. He was like a walking live reactor. One mistake and he could erase both him and Kuoh.

" To think that temperamental control of yours was caused by flawed mental stability…I was surprised, honestly."

She giggled lightly.

" You tried heating your blade to several millions degrees and I had to freeze it before it exploded in your face, right? I remembered your left burnt eyebrow."

" Right…It healed, though."

They entered another moment of silence. Kaito had never been one of the talkative guys, so he had no idea what to talk. Hana was a little similar to him as well. She wasn't a big fan of useless long talk that ended with 'hahaha…' or LOL.

" I really thought you…died."

Her eyes warmed up so quickly, he almost forgot she had the blood of snow women in her veins. he twirled my finger, creating a small glowing ring on my thumb. His fingers twiddled it for a minute, before flipping it to the air. The ring floated and spun as a chakram with razor edge and glowing exterior.

He really had to fix this habit.

{Why? It's cool to have too much weapons, anyway.} Zecrow interjected.

" Too much is never good, Zec. I can't control all of my blades at once."

She looked at the night sky and sighed, feeling the cold air on her face. As a half snow woman, cold didn't bother her much, instead it gave her peace of mind. The feeling when all problems in his mind froze was the best.

" When I was 11, my body underwent an awakening of my hunter powers. Due to that, my soul was somehow ejected from my body. It wasn't a complete ritual, so my soul retained nothing more than my physical form and some of my powers. I lost all of my memories, experience, and well, body."

He listened to her carefully, not wanting to interrupt.

" I wandered around for a month or two until I found someone reading about the yokai legends. Honestly, I couldn't care less, but the look in your eyes as you read it made me amused. I never knew what humans thought about us and went for a peek, until…"

She shivered while Kaito was laughing hard.

" Yeah, the look in your face, Gods, it was priceless! You should've scared me, not the other way around!"

She pouted and smacked him in the face lightly.

" Anyone would get scared when you turned on them with psycho face and a terrific sword in your hand! Plus, what the hell? You chased me around the mall, I nearly pissed myself!"

" On my defense, you stalked me."

" And you put a katana against my throat. Can you imagine being cornered with a katana pushed against your neck? When you've got neither memory nor life to remember?"

His face fell, his eyes losing their light. He looked down, unable to face her. But, she lifted his face and stared right at his blue eyes.

" After that, you somehow sheathed your sword and brought me to your home, giving me somewhere to return, a place I can call my home. It's small, it's crowded with other spirits, but that's the place I can be at peace, and that hasn't changed. I never asked you why."

He fiddled with his fingers and swallowed.

" I have the power to sense feelings and heart state of living beings. Spirits, humans, you name it. I can feel sadness, excitement, happiness, anger, hatred, and pretty much everything except love."

" Handy ability…Then?"

" The moment I nearly turned you to shish kebab, I felt something blank. When people die, they have some kind of fast flashback on their mind. They have this surge of emotion rushing to their heads like a swarm of parasites, and force them to show their hidden desires. You, madam, didn't have any of that."

" Mm-hm." She nodded.

" You had a face of utter horror, of course. But, not because you fear death, it's because you don't have any memories to remember, and no one to remember you."

She crossed her arms and scoffed.

" And why do you think I want anyone, eh? Aren't you just speculating randomly?"

" Not randomly. You did have a funny face on."

" Well…you did give me a home, so I'll let that go. I'm cold, want to go inside?"

" Uh-huh."

They stood up and turned around, walking to the village. She suddenly pushed herself against his shoulder.

" Nee-san, what are you doing?"

" Like I said, I'm cold. Let me be, will you?"

It was nigh impossible for a snow woman to get cold, but she was half-human. Maybe that worked differently for half-bloods? He had no idea.

Inside the village, someone walked to him and whispered something. He nodded and raced off to the main hut n the village. He crashed in with a bewildered look in his eyes.

" Nura-nii!"

A man with white hair with black streaks underneath raised his cup to me. He had a sly grin on his face, complimented by his golden eyes. He stood up and bro-hugged me.

" Long time no see, lil' bro! How are you doing? You still got that sword I gave ya?"

I laughed hard and sat down. I searched around my personal armory for a while to get a beautifully ornate katana. The sheath and hilt was normal wood, but the blade inside was a masterpiece. It curved slightly, with runes on the base of the blade. The runes seemed to glow faintly, like a phosphor light in caves.

" My former blade…although mine is nuekirimaru now, I still feel something weird from that blade."

He traced his finger on the flat side of the blade, making the glow stronger. His face adorned a longing expression and he returned the sword back to Kaito.

" I don't know why that damn old man wanted you to have this blade, but I guess you'll find out eventually. Have you named it?"

" Not yet. Unlike Zecrow, my naming sense is shitty."

{True story}

" Hhh…But, a yokai blade must be named to reach its full potential. My nuekirimaru was originally a blade to slay nue and Abe no Seimei if he'd ever gone rampant."

He unsheathed his own blade, which gleamed under the room's light. The blade seemed to emit some sort of hum, like it was happy to be out of its sheath. It wasn't even moved, but Kaito could feel a tingle on his neck. That's how dangerous the blade was.

" Well, take your time. It's not like the blade can grow legs and run, anyway. You'll find out a suitable name for it someday, trust me."

He sheathed the blade and strapped it on his obi, then went out. Kaito sighed at his sworn brother's antique personality. But, as weird as he was, he was a leader of Japan's youkais, much like him. The difference was that he ruled over spirits, not youkai.

Small difference.

Spirits were the solidified soul that had left their mortal vessel, while youkais were more like mutations of creatures caused by strong emotions, curse, or even magic.

" By the way, thanks for saving this village, lil' bro."

The leader of all youkai peeked from the door and waved to him. He sighed, then returned to his camp, where all his men waited. Although they were mostly Japanese spirits, their building skill wasn't third-rate. Carefully set rows of enchanted tents, with one in the middle for leaders. He, for one, didn't like the separation, but he had to respect their way.

" Master! You've come back! Quick, the tengus have returned."

Tengus in his clan were strong deceased youkai who were killed in war, mostly from the Kyoto war ages ago. Many dead youkais from Nura clan joined him, just to stay near their former leader. As time went, they also learned to respect him the same way they respected their leader, and he met him for the first time, becoming sworn brothers after several ordeals.

He marched to the main tent and entered, looking at all his lieutenants.

One was a samurai dressed in blue kimono with moving patterns.

There were two ninjas, Shura and Ashara.

One monk dressed fully in black was sitting with his staff on his lap.

An armored guy with a huge blade beside him.

The last one was a woman with shrine maiden outfit.

" Shura, Azhara, where's the spy? Did you see them?"

The two ninjas nodded at him, and he sat down as well.

" We are the spy, Kaito-sama. We don't want to leave a mission as important as this to anyone else, considering we're at brink of war here."

" Report."

" We saw the remaining of their forces 100 miles from here. You're right on the spot, master. They sent the army from before to soften us first, then kill us all when we think we've won the war."

His predictions were spot on.

" Anyway, at that pace, they'll reach us in…two days. We've also had our allies here with us. If you give the order, we'll take arms right now."

" Wait."

He put a hand under his chin.

" Let's wait for a day."

The lieutenants sighed, knowing their general's intelligence. He was a great general, with both power and brains, who was nick-named Nemesis due to his feat on Mount Fuji years ago.

" Why?" The samurai asked.

" Simple. Tomorrow is solstice, a sacred time for them. I notice they have roman aspects, so I figured out something."

" And what is that?"

" Feast of Fortuna."

They whistled. Feast of Fortuna was a sacred banquet when the people asked for blessing from Tyche, Goddess of Luck. That was the time when their defenses were at the lowest.

" But…they'll be aware of that, since they know their culture better."

" I know. So, how about we give them a taste of their own medicine?" Kaito's face had a nasty grin on, making all inside flinch a bit.

* * *

A day had passed, and the snow clan barred themselves inside a hurriedly crafted base. 3 meters long wooden stakes with several enchantments were made into a massive wall that would repel projectiles back to the shooter.

However, the camps of either spirits or youkais were nowhere to be seen.

The enemy's spy hovered over and saw the remnants of both their army and Kaito's army littered around the snowy plains. The enemy's number of corpses was about 200 or so, but the unknown corpses were much more than that. If they were annihilated just from that small number, the moment they brought in their full forces, it would be their win, hands down.

The spy smiled and returned to its base.

" As planned. Follow him."

If there were anything worth mentioning in Kaito's men, it would be their natural stealth. Spirits could conceal themselves by diluting their presence with others, losing their physical body temporarily in process. However, the body-less state made them almost impossible to track unless you had a hunter on your side.

His two aides, Shura and Azhara both tailed him, while Kaito led his army to the enemy's base. As ninjas, they managed to pull it off brilliantly and informed Kaito the location.

" Good. Now, Shura, I want you to make a massive mess over there, and Azhara, over there. Aka-oni, be my vanguard."

His men nodded and went to do his command. He and his battalion waited in the forest nearby their base, which was more like an abandoned village filled with all monstrosities someone could ever imagine.

Several minutes later, a house exploded in the west. After several more minutes of delay, another house exploded. The repeated disturbance took the enemy's attention quite well. They rushed to the locations only to find some of their companions dead. Kaito smirked while overseeing this commotion his men made. They did well, a little too well, actually.

" Let's wait…3…2…1…GO!"

The decoy team unleashed a smoke grenade that caused even more chaos on enemy's ranks. He unsheathed his sword and jumped in, followed by his battalion.

" Remember, use just enough force to keep yourself unhurt. Don't kill all of them. Yet."

They all answered 'YES' and charged inside the smoke. They managed to kill many, but not enough to destroy their numbers completely. Once the smoke dissipated, they were the ones who got cornered.

They were slowly defeated, and the enemies started to relax. Once they were off-guard, Kaito's main army came in.

" Go all out, you guys."

…was his sole command.

His men cheered and started fighting seriously. The Stymphalian birds were trying to even the odds, but his tengus stopped them from doing so, engaging in pure aerial combat. The black monk danced around in the battlefield, dying the ground red. The samurai sliced through hordes of orcs, and the storm monsters started to dissipate.

" Dance, servants of the Gods. Burn those defying their noble cause!"

The shrine maiden performed a dance in the middle of battle with several people defending her. Every time someone fell, a green light enveloped them, reducing their wounds. But, if the green light touched an enemy, he'd be reduced to ash by overload of energy.

She was both supportive and offensive player, healer and berserker. Soldiers that could fight like her were quite rare. She was a deserted ace from Himejima family, but that's story for another time. Either way, her ability to fight and support gave her a place in Kaito's high-rankers.

However, there was one thing annoying her mind.

" _Where is the necromancer?"_

His master said there would be a necromancer in their ranks, so she'd been preparing anti-undead spells for a week. She even had an AoE spell to forcefully alleviate cursed souls from inside their bodies, rotting them from inside out.

" **[[Kotoha style : Crimson Flash!]]!"**

Kaito appeared next to her with his sword already sheathed, and blood puddles near his feet.

" Otome, I'll take care of things here. You go and meet up with others."

She nodded and ran away to rendezvous with other commanders. Kaito swung his blade several times and sighed. He still had a long way to learn from being a general. He turned to the remaining horde of monster and carved rune on the air.

" Strike."

A very huge fist made of pure energy smacked them down with force of several hundred tons of convoy trucks, which weren't light in any way. Once they all kindly made a way for him, he looked up and saw a man fully dressed in black robes hovering on the air.

" You're late. Nearly all of your forces have been anything but alive."

He smirked and fished two items from his robe. One was a demonic-looking sword with ice as the blade, and a staff with glowing purple gem on top. He raised both items overhead and cackled like an asylum breaker.

" Forces? HAHAHA~! That's just an opening young hunter. For a great banquet, you'd need a lot more blood than that!"

" You're insane."

He stopped his laugh and glowered at him.

" I know people from this era disrespect me…But, this is a blasphemy. I AM NOT CRAZY!"

He shouted at him, and Kaito simply closed off his ears to avoid rupturing his eardrums. This hooded guy really had a lot of misplaced screws in his head.

" **Fall Down** "

Suddenly the man kissed the ground with his face planted on the ground. He rose up fast, but for some reason, he couldn't take his face off the ground. He struggled around, but still wasn't able to raise his head.

Finally, with a muffled scream, he stabbed the staff to earth, annihilating the parts that confined his head. His head popped out and he inhaled deeply.

He cussed at him, bringing out everything he had in store. Kaito sighed at his utterly rude enemy, and sheathed his katana.

" WIDE OPEN!"

Suddenly, the insane man shot out a beam from his staff straight to him. Kaito's eyes widened and glowed.

An explosion, and he laughed. As the smoke cleared up, his laugh stopped.

Kaito stood proudly with his hands above a huge machete in exchange for his usual katana. The machete itself was like a one-handed broadsword, its blade long enough to surpass his thigh, and the handle reaching his waist.

" Is that all you got?"

His forces rallied to him, and his clan leaders stood proudly side-by-side. His whole army raised their weapons and banged them against the ground, while howling a war cry across the mountain range.

The man cackled insanely and floated upwards. He raised his staff, and a thin purple light emanated from it. The light quickly expanded, covering the plains with purple light. It let out the field in several pulses, like heartbeat.

" Kuh!"

Kaito's army suddenly fell down one by one, like they got punched in the gut. Some started to fade, and some were already unconscious. Kaito looked around and stabbed his blade to the ground, casting a wide range spell to transport everyone straight to the camp. Luckily, the light hadn't spread there.

" Well, hunter. THAT is what I got."

Kaito's hair shadowed his face as his cape fluttered around. His eyes literally glowed golden now, and filled with pure malice. To his surprise, there was a hand touching his shoulder. He turned and saw the samurai standing next to him. Not only him, all his right-hand soldier were there as well.

" We can't let our young master to fend him off alone, can we?"

He face-palmed and laughed.

" You guys are impossible."

He raised his blade and engraved a rune there. The rune glowed dimly, then turned to a swirling orange blaze.

" Enhance : Efreet Blade."

Behind him, the flames formed an ethereal lizard. Sparks danced around him as the flames grew in size and intensity.

" Nice, nice! Now, time for this to shine!"

The staff shone and from the ground, cracks appeared. From them, bony hands and skeletons erupted one after another, fully armored. After a few minutes, a legion of thousands of Romans was fully formed.

" Di-Diocletian staff…What the hell is that thing doing here?!"

It was the staff of the last Roman Emperor. Well, the last one worshipping the Olympians, anyway. It had the power to summon the fallen Roman soldiers for the caster's cause, which meant all Roman soldiers throughout the history.

On his right hand was a blade with hilt shaped like goat's head, fully made of ice. It exuded cold and death, signs of necromancy at work. The blade itself felt…alive. It was demanding blood, and refused to be sheathed until it could have blood dripping on its runes. He was a master of weapons, but he'd never seen a weapon so brutal before.

So much bloodlust that he found himself shivering.

" Yes…That look…Even the great hunter can't stand tall in front of these, eh? This is pure gold."

He licked the blade gleefully and pointed it at him. The sword released a hum and the glacier cracked. The crack widened, and from it, a wyvern rose up. It was made of bone, but its eyes were cold and emotionless. Power radiated from it, enough to drop the temperature below zero.

" Frost wyrm…I thought that beast was a legend."

" It was…this one is undead, though."

Undead…it couldn't be killed so easily. It had no limitations, no magic quota, no life force, just pure power. But, the most terrifying thing about undead was their immortality. They couldn't be killed, unless completely annihilated to the core.

Even with that kind of disadvantage, Kaito laughed hard. He might've have been under so much pressure and gone insane, but that was not it. If he cracked in front of others, their morale would be lowered as well. However, the ones beside him were his trusted lackeys who knew him more than others.

So, why?

" At last…I won't have to worry about holding back."

His clan was put to coma the moment they stepped into the fray. This guy prodded the monsters to attack a village his clan protected, and most of all, he had a whole bunch of undead servants ready to kick _his_ ass. How could he even think about holding back?

He spun his huge machete with style and stabbed it to the ground, causing steel blades to bloom from the spot he stabbed. He released his grip and took out two nearly identical swords from the bunch. One was a Roman gladius made of imperial gold, another was Greek-styled sword made of silver.

" Support me, but don't get too close."

Those swords were simply made of rare metals, but they weren't mystic at all. They weren't blessed or something. They were just simple swords that most Greco-Roman heroes used. But, that didn't mean they sucked, especially in his hands.

In front of him, there were a thousand of well-trained soldiers from Roman Empire and a massive undying beast, while behind him, veterans of war who had his complete trust. He opened a magic circle and called Eva. She appeared near them, her bracelets already turned to blades.

" I'll leave the remnants I miss to y'all. Be sure to finish every last one of them, leave no prisoner."

His seven companions nodded and unsheathed their respective weapons. Eva readied her swords, the samurai sheathed his katana, Ashura and Azhara took out a huge shuriken and a chain scythe, Himejima shrine maiden had her ceremonial scepter ready, black monk pulled down his hat, while the armored one swung his great sword.

Actually, he was nervous. It was his first time meeting a freaking necromancer face-to-face with a scary bone dragon and an army of skeletons watching him.

" Now…"

As the hooded man raised his staff, the army of skeletons stirred and started to make a line. The lines stacked with each other, forming a disciplined bunch of united killing machines. They closed ranks, locking their tower shields with each other. Getting any kind of ranged weapon inside the tank would be basically impossible with that defense.

The front line spearmen dropped their shield to the ground and kneeled, giving just enough view for the archers to nock a wave of arrows straight at him.

" Holy mother of God! The hell is that?!"

The armored guy cussed, and the samurai stomped his iron foot with his sheath. He cringed in pain.

" Language, you iron buffoon. Do you want to have Young Master acquire your nasty tongue?"

" Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want, skin-on-bones."

Before Kaito could even recite a spell, his tanker had already stood in front of him, shielding him from all incoming arrows. There was a huge separate iron plate on his armor's arm he could expand to make a nice, thick shield.

Kaito jumped over the guy with his dual blades in his hands, and other swords hovering nearby. He landed on solid ground and crossed his swords. Golden sparks jumped from them, and he swung them in an 'X' motion. Two energy blades with gold and bronze colors shot out, and once they reached the phalanx of dead warriors, a cone-shaped explosion swallowed a good chunk of the front lines.

" Turtle formation!"

The hooded enemy started giving commands to the legion. It started to scatter its tankers, intending to shield the attacks from above. But, even the most trained army could not match his speed. He spun his floating swords around, hacking down several soldiers while moving around the air.

Undead couldn't be killed, but that didn't mean they couldn't be incapacitated.

Cut off their limbs, and they'd be like white rocks littering in the battlefield. They could be repaired, but that would take extra time and effort, so he made sure to occupy his enemy with all he had.

He switched his dual swords with his enhanced machete from before. One full-powered swing, and he charred several skeletons black. He rammed his fists in their skulls, probably making them run around in circles due to blindness. Sometimes, he kicked their heads off the spinal cords to use as ball to get their attention.

" Hmm…I can't have you destroy my army now, can I?"

A sudden chill crept up his spine, urging him to jump sideways for his life. Right after he landed on a snow pile, the place he was before was turned to pure ice.

" Craaap…. What's with undead and their breath?"

He looked up and saw a huge skeletal dragon glowering at him, smokes coming out from its snout.

" Enjoy yourself, hunter."

* * *

 **That's it! Please leave a review down below, and like if you feel this story is good!**


	21. War & Return

**Okay, to answer some questions people may have.**

 **Why wait one week? Won't the village get attacked before Kaito's army arrive?**

 **First of all, Romans and Greeks are prideful. What glory would they get if they destroyed a defenseless village? They'd be barbarians, then. Plus, if they destroyed their hope, which was Kaito, the village would surrender easily. They wanted the women to breed, not die. He waited also because his army was too weak to defeat 10000 monsters from Greco-Roman mythology and their ballistic weapons. Don't forget, in that one week, peace conference was held. He had to be present.**

 **The harem?**

 **Issei : Akeno, Asia, Koneko, Rossweise, Xenovia, Kunou, and Serafall**

 **Kaito : Rias, Hana, Eva, Kuroka, Ravel, Irina, Jeanne, Ophis, and Gabriel.**

 **By the way, Kaito is STUPID. His head is hard. If a girl told him she loved him, he might just ask if she was kidding, get slapped, and still ask why he gets slapped.**

 **Why does Raynare abuse him?**

 **Not exactly abuse. Fallen angels are a species that specialized in seduction,** _ **not**_ **love. That means she doesn't know how to act around him. Plus, her guilt for killing the one she loves and might be the only one who'd love her back traumatized her. She wanted to repent, but just didn't know how. She had to know him better first.**

 **Well, that might answer some of your questions. If you have more, please comment or just PM me. I'll answer to the best of my ability.**

 **And…**

 **What is Kaito?**

 **30% human, 30% dragon, and 40%?**

 **I am so sorry for not updating for so long… Please forgive me**

 **Highschool DxD is not mine.**

* * *

Kaito POV

Seriously?

How did that crazy necromancer find a frost wyrm on this day and age? Hadn't the very last remnant of them been eradicated thousand years ago?

I rolled on the ground to dodge a frosty breath it just launched. I used a spell and levitated several meters, then unfurled my wings. If I wanted to last, I had to go airborne. Once I was in the air, the dragon didn't waste time and lashed his bony tail to me.

" Strike!"

A rune blazed in front of me and smashed the tail back. I was savoring a feeling of safety when that rude dragon decided to interrupt with his ice dead-flavored breath. I coated my whole body in flames and fought the cold by literally burning through it. I swung my arm, sending out a barrage of burning metal projectiles at the dragon. They all exploded on contact and managed to break several of its bones, but undead didn't feel pain. It just roared and lunged at me again, trying to rake its massive claws at my face.

I descended and hovered below the dragon, prepared my enhanced big machete and sliced upwards. The dragon snorted as my blade tore open a huge wound on its side. However, the wound let out blue steam instead of blood. It opened its maw again and was ready to launch another breath attack, but suddenly Shura and Azhara smacked their fists against its lower jaw, forcing it to close its mouth.

" Master! Leave this beast to us! Please take out that necromancer."

They took out their respective weapons and covered their bodies in a coat of blue spirit energy. I nodded and kicked my speed up to max. I literally went through the dragon, from its mouth to tail. Turned out, this beast was hollow inside.

Surprise, surprise.

It didn't affect it much, though. It just continued roaring and thrashing like it did with me.

The necromancer had commanded the archers to shoot me down. They nocked several arrows on their bows at once, then shot with deadly accuracy. I was suddenly facing a rain of sharp-pointed sticks. I drew a rune to block all those arrows and flew straight to the necromancer. He raised his own blade to block. Metal against ice, hot against cold. However, that blade of his exuded more than just regular cold. Its blue steam exuded madness, hatred, and death, more so than the cold released from the blade.

For the first time, I was afraid of a sword.

Well, not that I'd never been terrified by a sword, though. But, I was in despair so I didn't feel afraid of the blade, more like myself for not being afraid in front of such dark aura. This sword came a close second.

I dodged a deadly decapitation by tilting back, and countered with a back-flip. My foot connected with his jaw, sending him higher to the sky. Once he was in the highest altitude, I balled my fist, and coated it with concentrated flames.

Okay, honestly, I wanted to melt that stupid smirk off his face.

He'd expect an uppercut, so I feinted, and smashed my fist to his left ribcage. Then, my other blades spun around, turning his stupid cloak to shreds. He jumped back before my four floating blades could reach his flesh.

" Ahahaha…I guess the jig is up, huh? You youngsters sure are restless."

" Say for yourself, mad emperor Caligula. How the hell are you living right now? You should've died centuries ago!"

The mad emperor laughed like there was no tomorrow, and held his sides. I still couldn't believe this…the very ruler that was called mad by the historians just had to appear here. This emperor basked himself in glory and wealth, and killed for fun. Rome's money was used to boost his personal gains. He liked sadism, cruelty, and sexual fun so much, that he was called insane and assassinated.

Or at least I thought so.

" That thing about me being assassinated? Well, I got lucky. My knowledge in necromancy helped me get my life back. I managed to do the reverse of what people define as 'death'."

He opened his robes, to show rough stitches near his heart. Some parts of him were rotten, but otherwise he was fine.

" I glued my soul inside my body, practically becoming immortal in the process."

It was an unthinkable feat for a human to do. He stitched his soul inside his mortal body and fused them together, manifesting the soul itself inside this world. The process itself was so painful that no human would ever be able to endure even the first step, but he completed the full set!

This showed he wasn't 'human' anymore.

Just how I was supposed to kill an immortal? It went against the concept of immortality itself, damn it!

" I guess I may not return, after all…"

Galatine in one hand, Deucalion in another, I prepared myself to clash against this ancient relic from Rome. No wonder he had Diocletian's staff. It was a royal relic from Rome, and it was well within his authority to take it. I dual wielded them and stored some weapons inside my personal storage. I chose 4 weapons to go. One was the spear I acquired from the familiar forest, another was a huge double-edged axe made of imperial gold, then a katana named Muramasa, and dual-baselards made of black steel.

One spear, two holy swords, and two short swords.

Plus the two swords I was holding.

Of course, I could pull out some better blades from my primary inventory, but my choice was very limited with the power I possessed right now. Plus, this was like a fast-access inventory. I could just pull something off quickly and efficiently without having to search for my desired sword.

You know, like what Noctis could do from Final Fantasy? That guy's cool.

I rushed forward with Deucalion and aimed to decapitate him. He ducked and thrust his blade up, aiming for instant death. I parried it with Galatin and spun, kneeing his gut. He was thrown back, but showed no signs of injury.

" _This is going to be a long fight…"_

* * *

Meanwhile…

Normal POV

The frost wyrm certainly didn't lose its fierceness after death. Kaito's generals sent out barrages of attacks for hours now and it didn't seem the least bit tired. Well, it was undead, after all. They were made as killing machines to begin with. But, even if they blew one of its wings off and cracked half of its skull, its attacks didn't get weaker at all.

" Shura, Ashara, guard Shouko!"

The armored man shouted as the dragon sent out its freezing breath at her. They immediately jumped at their healer and raised a shield to negate the attack. Shouko Himejima was their healer and supporter, they couldn't let her fall. Once their healer fell, this monster could easily pick them off one by one.

A monk in black robes slammed his staff against its thick hide, barely denting it. He slammed it again and again until a small wound was created and jabbed the sharp end inside.

" Weapons!"

From inside his staff, weapons bloomed. Spears, axes, swords, and about a hundred more appear and jabbed the dragon from its insides. However, since the insides were hollow, that move wasn't very effective.

" Kuro!"

The dragon's claw nearly crushed him if the samurai didn't slice its nerve system to make the dragon lost control of its left claw. But, undead didn't have to rely on nerve system to move its body. The monk barely got out before the claw closed on him again. However, before his lower half could be crushed, a pale energy shield appeared between the claw and his body.

" Quick! I can't hold it for long…"

Shouko focused her energy to that barrier and the samurai pulled him away. The monk was released from the death grip, but still, the pain from being squeezed remained. He limped back from the battlefield to heal, while watching others holding back the mighty undead.

Kuro wheezed as some of his internal organs were damaged earlier, until Shouko came and patted him with her scepter. Dim light glowed from it, making his wounds fade slowly. After a while, he was ready to fight again.

The samurai and the warrior slammed their respective swords at the monster, only managing to make shallow cuts on its body.

" Damn! This-beast-is-so-damn-tough!"

They started getting frustrated and failed to notice its tail. But, before it could smash their bones to splinters, it suddenly paused.

" No can do, beast."

" We're exterminating you."

The ninja brothers latched their chains to its tail, effectively immobilizing it for a while. With strength far surpassing the size of their bodies, they pulled the beast down and slammed it to the ground. Once the beast was down, they ran around, tying it to the ground with chains and huge nails. The others simply wrecked its wings so it couldn't fly off and waste all those effort. Eva also cast two heavy crystals on its wings. With both of its wings immobilized after a lot of work and its body chained, the beast could barely move a muscle. It could only release cold steam every now and then.

" If we can't kill it, just make it immobile… Having freedom stolen is worse than death. Really, young master's words prove to be useful even in this situation."

" Will those chains last?"

" Oh, don't worry, Kuro-san. These chains are made of enchanted bones. They won't break so easily."

" Let's see how young master's doing. It's been a while since we last saw him battle."

* * *

Kaito POV

Damn… This mad emperor was stronger than I thought… He wasn't that fast, but he knew his weapons well.

I've got no choice…

I had to use ether, or I'd lose.

Ether, the very energy that created things in the first place. The very first type of mass, matter, and energy, and of course…

The second type of power high-level hunters possessed.

Egyptians used ether to form their magic, only they changed their energy to ether. That ether would be used to create matters, like water, flames, sword, or even beasts. Some of the legendary ones were even able to create concept, like chaos, calmness, order, and so on. Normal mages didn't have enough power to fuel the spells, so Gods like Isis sometimes helped by residing inside their bodies to give power.

I'm doing the opposite.

I absorbed the purest of spirit energy in the air and transformed it into ether, little by little, inside my body. If I absorbed ether too, that's fine. It'd just speed up my gathering. Once it was enough, I circulated it through my whole body, mixing up with my own spirit and magic energy.

As a result, my white flames turned light blue, with black streaks on it. I thrust my hand forward, exchanging my holy swords for the muramasa. Katana was a weapon I felt most familiar with. Leveling it up to eye level, I enchanted the blade again to increase its durability.

" Oooohhh, what's this? You're going to change form and utterly defeat me with the power of friendship and stuff? HAHAHAHA!"

" Nah, I'm proving that I beat you from the very start."

The archers were too occupied with me, that they failed to notice my generals hacking down their ranks before it was too late. They kept shooting barrages of arrows that simply melted off before it could reach my skin. Water couldn't even take liquid form near me, as it was vaporized before reaching me. Due to that fact, I couldn't sweat either. I had to cool down my body before I combusted and turned to some human torch.

But…

If I cooled down, I'd have to reset my power again. So this time…

" I'm tired of being too weak to do anything. Screw my seals, I'll just burn up everything so it opens eventually!"

My clan was down, and waiting for these pile of bones to run the over. I could barely save Raynare before one of my seals broke. I had to leave that frost wyrm to my subordinates, just so I could fight one-on-one against this mad cow and his sword.

{ Uhhh… Partner? You might wanna know something.}

" _What, Zecrow? Trying to burn this guy here."_

Oh, he didn't wait, so I was having him fight a barrage of my blades to keep him occupied for a while. With only one sword and a scepter, it would be hard to fight multiple blades coming from every direction at once. But, they weren't enough to land a fatal blow.

{ You forgot that dragons are particularly susceptible to heat, so go all out! Use my flames if you deem necessary.}

Before I finished charging up, he suddenly threw his blade and pinned me to the ground. I could see it, but I thought my blades would…

Crap, they're rubbles now.

I didn't expect him to break through them this fast. Guess I should've put more attention. I was careless and now I had to pay the price.

" Guaaah!"

I spurted out blood as my body connected to the ground. Magic circle appeared on the ground below me. This sword… sucked out my will and strength!

" You've ever heard of Frostmourne? The blade used by the king of all undead? Well, I spent centuries searching for it, and even though it delayed my plans, it's worth the troubles. Look, even the great 'Phantom Blade' is powerless against it."

" I didn't expect it to be real, but…"

I flared my aura in form of heat, melting the ice and drying the ground beneath. The magic circle was also burned off the ground. All that charging up finally paid off. He leaped off, yanking the sword away from my chest. To my surprise, the stab didn't hurt as much as I thought. More like, it felt numb.

" Undead hates heat, right? You were revived, as undead warrior."

I put some pressure on my bleeding chest, and stopped its bleeding. Having open wound in such cold weather was really bad. If the wound froze up, the insides of the body would be cold as well.

My subordinates were holding off the undead army now. I had to finish this quickly, or they wouldn't last much longer.

" Your wound… It closed a little too fast, and heck, you're fine, even though this sword cancels spirit power…"

" You stabbed my heart…while there's nothing inside, stupid."

Pain in heart region was something I'd grown accustomed to. Just being stabbed by a sword with power to poison me from the inside there didn't even come close to the pain of all those years I spent alone.

Not by a long shot.

" There's no way a living being had no heart, so let me try this again!"

I tilted aside, making him miss. If she did stab my heart, not my chest, I'd probably die. The pain felt numb, but the wound was still there. I pointed muramasa at him and heated the blade up to several thousand degrees. My body was covered in blue flames now, with occasional sparks of lightning.

He didn't give up and kept on slashing. His speed seemed a bit more acceptable to me now, and the dread feeling from the sword was lower than before. I could also parry his attacks without much problem. On the other hand, this guy seemed to be frustrated. His slashes became wilder and uncontrolled, and his openings became wider.

I took my chance once and managed to land a cut on his wrist, making him drop the scepter. He cursed, but I kicked his face the moment he was distracted. His anger really clouded his mind, and if he hadn't noticed yet, I was far stronger with ether powering me. Even though I was weakened with that stab earlier, the energy didn't fall too far from my standards.

" Tch! Fly, my soldiers! Bring this wretched man down to hell!"

I nearly laughed at him, if I didn't have to dodge an armed skeleton flung to me from below. They grabbed their friends, and flung them to me like projectiles. The arrows had already started again, too. The dead legion used _orbem formate_ as defensive stance to counter my subordinates' advances. Really, I didn't know if they were intelligent or not.

It was effective, though.

Caligula didn't waste the chances and he lashed at me swiftly. I raised my sword to block, but his sword phased through mine.

" Master!"

I heard a voice from below and thrust my free hand inside my instant inventory, bringing out Deucalion and blocked it. He looked shocked, but I didn't give him time to break out of his stupor. He dodged, but my sword still grazed his cheek. I threw my katana, he deflected it, and I gave him a huge slice from chest to hip.

" Your…loss…mad emperor.

I was so tired after the whole ordeal that I might not have the energy to carry myself back to the village. To my surprise, he still moved despite his burning body.

" You were saying?"

He stabbed me through the chest. I gasped and held his sword, so he couldn't move. I grinned with my bloody mouth and he turned back. Hundreds of swords made out of ether were already set below.

" I can't control this much in this state… So I'll just throw them all at you while you're unable to move."

If he were free, he'd easily dodge that barrage without batting an eye. Besides, creating that much blades amidst of battle needed more time than I thought.

" Burn away."

All those blades shot up, impaling every inch of his body and burning him down. This time, his body couldn't do much besides getting charred black. He fell to the ground, and I pulled out my spear, and nailed him on the ground with that. Metal wires appeared from the ground and tied up his limbs and neck. The spear I got from that cave…I'd been dying to try it out, but I didn't have the chance to try it out. Things had been hectic since then, but I noticed it had sealing powers, like totsuka blade Storm God Susano'o possessed.

" WHAT'S THIS?!"

He yelled in outrage, but the wires eventually covered his whole body, and an insignia appeared right above his head. The spear glowed purple for a second, and flew beside me. I let it be and examined the cocoon. The metal wires were knitted so tightly that not even air could enter. The sealing mark was something I'd never seen before.

{Old tongue, huh?}

" _Do you know what it says, Zecrow?"_

{ Seal, obviously. It was written in ancient language, I kinda forgot when and where… But, it was a great civilization. Some humans from that generation were given the power to slay Gods. They were extinct, though, and the power diminished.}

" _The spear's name?"_

{ Ishrion. Look, there's the name. On the hilt.}

" _I can't read."_

{….of course you can't. I forgot.}

I ignored his sarcasm and poked the metal cocoon a few times. He actually looked like a metal sausage LOL.

" Master! The army!"

I turned and saw the legion was still peachy. Oops, it seemed like sealing the head honcho wouldn't make them crumble, huh? But still, with no one giving commands, they weren't much of a challenge.

Eh?

Why were there stars everywhere?

Everything suddenly turned black, and I was snatched out from the real world.

* * *

" _Wake up…"_

A voice echoed inside the black space inside my mind.

" _Wake up!"_

I jolted up and opened my eyes abruptly. I felt stinging pain in my chest and held it tightly, trying to minimize the agony. Once it subsided, I breathed rather raggedly and slowly laid myself on the futon again. It was too soon for me to wake up yet. I nearly shut my eyelids again until I heard loud stomps from beyond the door.

" LIL' BRO! YOU OKAY?! IMMA KILL THOSE FREAKIN BASTARDS!"

Nurarihyon slammed open the door, effectively snapping my eyes open. Man, that surrogate brother of mine really had to work on his entrances. He hurriedly kneeled by my side and tore open my kimono, revealing a hole on my chest with sickly blue hue around the wound. There was a nearly identical wound on my stomach, exuding cold and death everywhere. He trembled at sight and called for help.

" This is terrible, little bro. I don't know how you survive this, but don't push your luck too far, okay?"

" I must be pretty weak to be like this, Nura-nii. I can't believe I got injured by a weapon. A sword, nonetheless."

" Well, if it had been the former you, you would've snorted and summoned a massive hurricane with a rain of fire and sword everywhere, maybe destroying half of this mountain. At least, the village is still intact."

" Like Mount Fuji."

" Yeah. It was one hell of work to mitigate the damages you caused."

Footsteps were audible and door was opened. Several people came in, bringing food and medicine. I was pushed back to sleep posture and some people just rubbed herbs and balm on my wounds. After they were done, I grabbed a bowl of gruel and a spoon, but damn, my hands were shivering.

" Let me do it. It's been a while since I can pamper my lil' bro like this."

Okay, this is awkward.

" Excuse me. Kaito, you okay? I—

Hana-nee came in with a full pot of soup, and looked at the situation. Nura-nii had the spoon on my mouth as I was backing away from him. She turned back and closed the door.

"…I'm sorry for bothering."

" NO! You got it all wrong! Geez…"

Later…

I was sitting, already full. I couldn't believe she actually brought all the ingredients for sukiyaki inside that huge pot. My all-time favorite. The broth was nice, too.

" I almost thought I saw a heavy yaoi and incest session… well, glad to see you're still straight, Kaito."

She put down her cup of tea. Man, having warm food in cold weather sure was nice. It really warmed up your insides well. Plus, I couldn't eat fried food for a while now. Doctor's orders strictly forbid it. Sukiyaki was a way to go around that.

Well…

" After food, I'm going for a walk—"

I heard a growl and clanging sounds from outside, and some of my subordinates stormed in, bringing thick ropes and handcuffs. Hana and Nurarihyon nodded and made way for them. I backed away slowly and carefully…

" Guys, guys, what's with that look? C'mon, stop kidding—AAHHH!"

They all pounced at me and tied me tightly, I could barely move a muscle. But, they made sure my muscles were relaxed, so the ropes wouldn't strain my muscles.

" We can't have you moving around, young master. Until next week, at least."

" After all that work stitching up your wound, we can't risk you ruining them. Shouko-chan even personally did that for you."

I turned to see the timid shrine maiden, who hid between Kuro as soon as I laid eyes on her. I chuckled a bit and stayed down. Well, it wasn't like I could do anything else with ropes all over, anyway.

" So, what happened after I passed out?"

" Well…"

Flashback

Normal POV

Kaito stabbed his sword on the ground despite having lost consciousness, and let out a primal cry. Several skeletons fell down, but some stood their grounds, and they marched again. The hunter walked wobbly to them, and albeit unconscious, he hacked through them mercilessly and recklessly. It took 3 of his generals to grab him and tie him before he got killed due to blood loss or the curse inside the blade. The rest of them fought valiantly, but the numbers were overwhelming. The only one with anti-army spells was Shouko, and even her stamina had run out from sealing the wyrm. Eva could still fight, but she too, had no AoE spells. She could only dispatch any enemies that tried to approach the wounded ones, but she had her limits.

" Hold on! We're coming!"

Nurarihyon and his army came from cleaning the remainder of Greek's army. His army was full of yokais of many varieties, but the most prominent feature was that he stood in the front. Leaders often stayed back because if he died, all his forces would crumble, too. This supreme commander obviously didn't share the same mindset.

The yokai army finished the war, and returned to camp.

Flashback ends.

Kaito POV.

" So that's what happened… I'm not sure about me slicing them up without being conscious, though. I'm not some cliché hero like that."

" Well, you'd better believe it. When I arrived in the battlefield, you were still running around fighting, with Kuro and Shura after you, ropes in hand."

Welp, I really made a lot of trouble. I shouldn't have been too composed on annihilating all the enemy forces.

Hana sighed in a very un-ladylike posture. She was back in her usual attire, a jacket, a skirt, and a white scarf on her neck. Well, she wouldn't be complete without the earphones on, after all. Where did she get that neko earphone? I wanted one.

I wanted to sleep again, but my body was fine. I wished they'd just release me and let me play games or something. Hana had consoles, right? If only I could get her to bring that…

" Hey, Hana-nee. Mind bringing me some games? I'm bored…"

" No can do. You're sleeping, at least until next week. Then, I'm bringing you back to Kuoh."

" That's right, lil' bro. You fatally injured that wyrm, then defeated the mad emperor after taking on thousands of Greek monsters… Too much. Let me take care of things here after you heal."

I remembered the weapons of that emperor.

" What happened to his weapons?"

" As expected of a weapon maniac…"

Nurarihyon sighed. Hey! Those weapons were dangerous, and they might fall to wrong hands. I honestly didn't feel like fighting those weapons again.

" The scepter was taken by your shrine maiden… and the sword disappeared."

I sat up again, only to be put down by Hana again. The worst part was that I was powerless to resist. I could barely put up any strength in my body. Even Hana could put my down with what little strength points she had.

So, I gave up and closed my eyes, trying to sleep the week away.

* * *

AT LAST!

MOVE AGAIN!

I ran around the hills and jumped off the cliff, made a sword, landed on it, and flew around. I did double flips, and stood vertically on one side of the cliff. Then, I wall-jumped like a boss, unfurled my two wings, then flew to camp.

" I can't believe you…"

Shura and Azhara was waiting down there, with Hana, Nurarihyon, and some of my generals with free time. I landed right in front of them and smiled.

" Can't believe what?"

" Your regeneration rates! The wounds that should've made even a phenex scared, your body fixed them up in one week!"

I opened my kimono a bit, showing them two gashes on my body. Even now, they were still sickly blue.

" These don't get fixed, though…"

Hana traced her hand on my wounds slightly, and I felt cold numbness assaulting me. It wasn't unbearable, but it sure was annoying. I closed my kimono back and went to my tent.

* * *

This day was the day I'd leave the village. Apparently, the elders wanted to hold a banquet to celebrate the win, even after I told him not to. I hated those parties where socialists reigned supreme.

I sat on the corner, eating some barbeques while listening to others chat. Times like this really made me want to disappear, like a shadow I was. It wasn't fair how people could only see what lied above. They didn't even care what was underneath. Once they got what they desired, they left the one giving it behind. It wasn't like I wanted to be appreciated, but…

It hurt, a lot.

You'd probably ask me, why the hell is the lord of all spirits mumbling to himself like some weirdo?

Well, it was easy. Because this lord was still human inside. I got tired of things, I felt emotions, but only a few remembered. Really the phrase ' The worst part of being strong is that no one ever asks if you're okay' fit me well. At times like this I wished I were just a weak and honest guy with many friends to rely on, like those MCs in games and animes.

I stood in the corner alone, until an elder called me up. She was Hana's mom.

" You're not joining?"

" I'm not suited for this kind of events."

" Well, do come to my house after this. I want to give you something as token of this village's gratitude."

I closed my eyes and sighed.

" Alright."

She suddenly bowed deeply.

" Thank you for saving my daughter… If you hadn't, she might have been…"

I just nodded.

" Well, if you'd obliged those old geezers' words, you would've been far less of a mother she deserves. Besides, isn't this party already representing the whole village's gratitude?"

She got the point and left. God, I really hated people bowing to me in gratitude. It was awkward, and felt like I dominated over them. Just a simple 'thank you', and I'd be satisfied.' Thank you' was created for this very purpose, wasn't it?

I raised the stick and tore off a chunk of meat from the stick. Hmm~ Perfectly grilled, with just the right amount of spice. Gotta love the food this village's chef made. So delicious. I went back to fetch another plate, as the one I held was already empty.

By the way, this village usually got supplies from cities below the mountain or monsters.

Yeah, monster meat may sound disgusting, but it was surprisingly tasty. What I ate was beef, but there were many types of monster meat mixed in. Who knew what I might eat next? Besides, they were happily eating and still healthy.

" You've got big appetite for someone who heals recently."

I felt a cold tap on my shoulder and cringed. I turned back, nearly spilling the contents of my plate to the floor. I picked up a stick of meat and paprika and waved it in front of her.

" Gotta eat while I can. I can't eat stuff like this in home, you know?"

She sighed and pulled out a stick from my plate, ignoring my protests and munching it happily. Then, she sat down on a bench, and put on her headphones and tapped on her phone. It was amazing how that look suited her so much, it almost defined her.

" Nee, what are you thinking at times like this?"

I leaned on the bench from behind, not really wanting to sit down. Her weight was barely enough to keep the bench from being pushed. She was a little petite on the figure, after all. Looking up to the sky, I could see the stars city people would rarely see.

" What I think, huh? Well, I just space out and dream sometimes."

" Dream?"

" Yeah. I rarely get anything I really want in this crappy world, so sometimes, I just dream what will it be like to have a life like normal people, having normal friends, like a normal high school guy. Sometimes, I just imagine what would happen if I could correct my past mistakes."

" You can't. Time's not something reversible, that's a fact."

" Right. I can't. But, at least I can dream, right?"

" True. By the way, do you know this song?"

She put on her headset on me, getting me to hear a sweet melody of a song. It was a great song, but it was just instrumental, with no lyrics inside.

" It's the kind of song that lets you imagine the lyrics."

" Ooh, I see~"

I wanted to hear that song longer, but she took the headset off and wore it for herself. I nearly whined and lashed around like a child if I didn't remember we were on public. The bell rang, and it was already time. I had to go. Men don't break promises.

" Sorry, nee-san. I have somewhere to go."

I went down the road straight to the elders' house. However, the whole council of the village was there. The hunter in me was careful, and alert. Hana's mom came forward and stopped in front of me.

" As a token of gratitude for saving our village, we will entrust the heirloom to him. Kurayama Kaito, this…"

They made a path, and showed me a sword on a pedestal. It was a katana in dark blue sheath, the hilt was chained to the sheath. The guard was shaped rather strangely, too. I walked to the pedestal and took it, and nearly unsheathed it if it weren't for them grabbing my wrist.

" Don't-ever-unsheathe-that-blade-here. Too dangerous."

" So you're giving me a dangerous item?"

" To your enemies, yes. That blade is quite temperamental, but it's one of the treasures of this village, Yukianesa."

" Hmmm…"

I lifted it and examined its weight, shape, and other details. But, there was something weird. I felt like there was actually no blade inside the sheath. Were they mocking me or something? But, the sword itself felt like magic, so it was a magic item, that's a fact.

I went out, followed by those curious higher-ups and inhaled. I fastened my grip on the leather hilt and yanked the chains off. A wheezing sound appeared, almost drowned by the cold hail on the mountain.

Crud, there it was.

The blade was made of pure magic permafrost. It was solid, but at the same time not. It did have the shaped of a katana, though. But, it seemed to form the instant the chains were severed and the hilt was pulled. Blue wisps surrounded the blade and I tried to swing it once. The blade hit a rock that instantly turned pale white and crumbled down.

" Oops?"

They just face-palmed or rubbed their temples for that. Luckily, I only hit a stone statue, not the sacred one, it could be rebuilt easily. But, seriously, when sheathed, the blade was nonexistent. I couldn't believe that powerful permafrost was formed in an instant.

" Well, now you see why we didn't let you draw that sword inside."

I nodded and strapped the blade on my waist, just beside my muramasa. I'd decided to strap at least one weapon on my waist. Even though I could summon swords, having a blade on like a samurai sounded cool.

Well, one of the reasons was that emperor I faced a week ago.

He nullified all my army's strength with that staff. I was strong enough not to get affected, but still, it wasn't a risk worth taking. If I were weaponless and had my spirit powers nullified, I'd be a literal sitting duck.

" With that settled, good night, Kurayama-san."

The elders left one by one, leaving me alone. I also went to the stone stairs, wanting to sleep already.

" Wait."

Hana's mom. What did she want?

I turned back with tired expression on my face.

" I've been thinking… maybe it's better for my daughter to live away from here, and gain some normal girl's experience. She's still young, and I don't want her to waste her youth."

" So?"

" I had her move to Kuoh and attend a high school there. It's a selfish request after all you'd done, but… Please take care of my daughter."

I leaned against the stone wall.

" You know it's selfish, but you said it anyway. You must love her a lot."

" I haven't been much of a mother for her. Only after I lost her for two years did I realize how precious my daughter was. I shouldn't have blamed her for the death of Ryuu… and I never said sorry, too."

" Well, say it. She'll never know if you keep avoiding her."

" It'll just bring more trouble for her. She's a good girl, and she's already received enough trouble for a life time. I don't deserve to be called her mother after all I've done to her."

" But, unfortunately, you're already her mother, and she already loves you, so get there and let your daughter know. She might kick you, hurt you, or curse you for all you'd done, but at least that hatred comes out. Do you want your daughter to get a cancer from burying her grudge forever?"

Harsh, but, adults sometimes needed a phrase that oozed 'For greater good' to get going. Really, people thought of the strangest things sometimes. They just got worried of littlest things and ended up not doing anything. What really mattered was that you tried your best to mend your mistakes, despite knowing that it was unforgivable.

I looked at the hurrying figure of a mother running to her daughter.

" _What am I to say? I'm really envious of a mother like that."_

Giving in to my desire, I went to Hana's house and saw them crying like babies with her lightly beating her mom.

" You stupid, stupid, sorry excuse of a mom! What the hell are you saying now? How am I supposed to hate you now? Be a little cruel so I can hate you properly…"

She cried to her mom's shoulder and wet her kimono. Her mom just gently patted her head and let her daughter cry out. It was such a heartwarming sight that I wanted to pull out my phone and snap a photo or two. But before I could reach my pocket, I heard rustling sounds from the bushes around the house.

10 men, all armed and experienced in combat.

" So this is why that woman wanted to send Hana off… Is the blood of Shirayuki really that dangerous to you? She's the predecessor of all yuki-onna, you know?"

They kept their mouths shut and brandished their respective weapons.

" Riiiggghhhtt… As expected of ninjas. Well, at least I don't have to deal with annoying ramblings about evil plan or whatever."

I severed yukianesa's chains. The frost blade was formed, bringing chills to their spine. I spun the sword and pointed it at them.

" What are you waiting for? Do your mission."

I didn't stand out back then, so only a handful of people knew my real identity. However, I could see doubt in their eyes and decided it was time to strike.

* * *

Three days later, I had already packed up. My clan was ready to leave and we were getting goodbyes from the village. When I shook hand with the elders, I purposely tapped yukianesa and smirked. Really, no matter where, same troubles always occurred. Someone really had to fix this way of thinking someday.

By the way, ten frozen corpses with slices on their body were found near the river. They looked like they were attacked by a wendigo, but careful eyes would know otherwise. I waved along with my men and went away. Back to the headquarters.

" I'll see you soon, lil' bro. Watch yourself well."

Nurarihyon messed my hair and winked. He was going back to Tokyo today. I just smiled and smacked his shoulder.

* * *

 **Well, it's another chapter. Sorry for the long delay, I was a little depressed by some… things and just couldn't write. Reviews will be appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	22. Character Bio

**CHARACTERS PROFILE**

Kurayama Kaito ( Sometimes Nakashima if he wants to hide it.)

Alias : Phantom Blade, Reaper, Master, Spirit Lord

Physical appearance : A teen with spiky hair which couldn't be combed no matter what. It would just pop back several minutes later. His hair was originally black, but changed to silver with black linings after unlocking the first seal of his powers. His bangs usually covered his eyes, so people originally thought of him as creepy, but after a little makeover, he proved to be quite the enemy for the single men in Kuoh Academy. He'd wear Kuoh academy uniform in school, a kimono with red haori when he's with his spirits comrades, and casual clothes on any other occasion. He'd usually carry katanas when wearing kimono, just to preserve the samurai feel.

Strength : Physical : His body had been trained to its utmost limits by his dragon who basically knew no restraint, plus the new dragon part he got from dying. However, after surviving years of hellish training and sore muscles, he finally obtained enough power to lift heavy stuffs without much effort, and put a crack on Excalibur destruction. In his peak, he could rip off a building or two from the ground with his physical strength alone.

Magic : He's learnt human magic to near complete mastery. This magic includes science and imagination mixed together to create phenomenon. Mostly, he used elemental magic, but it didn't mean he couldn't do more than that. He mastered basic teleportation and illusion magic, plus mentality, a power to control memories and mind.

Spirit : He possessed insane amount of spirit powers, mostly due to the fact he was a natural hunter. Spirit strength itself comes from one's own spirit, feelings ,will, and his/her very being. It will mature, but the maturation rate differed for each people. Kaito's matured at rapid rate, mostly because his interaction with them, his own talent, and his heart. His powers were mostly centered around swords and flames, but that was because the seal his late girlfriend placed on him before her death. Right now, he could use about 20% of his original power, without the more advanced versions of hunter powers. Still, he could control thousands of blazing blades with great mastery.

Swordmanship : Good enough to match even the most experienced fighter. He's also mastered other kinds of weapons, just in case a sword wasn't available.

Rapid healing rates

Endurance : To the point of surviving two fatal stabs in the heart imbued with anti-spirit power and freezing spell after taking on a whole army of monsters and fighting undead frost dragon while his powers were sealed.

Sacred gear : One of the lost gear, **Reality gear** gave him the power to make something into reality. It also gathered energy from others, along with their energy signature. It could also limit any trait from his opponents, and create original magics. Its downsides were the insane energy required, very difficult to master, and it forced its host to see the truth in everything, often drowning him in despair or hatred for the world and himself. It was also the home of Zecrow.

Hobbies : Playing games, making and maintaining swords, stalking(if it's his crush)

Personality and history : Inside the story wkwk. I want you to read. It's better to know the character's personality through the story.

Hana Shirayuki

Alias : Shirayuki incarnate, Snow, cold princess

Appearance : As a daughter from snow woman tribe, she inherited their beauty. Pale skin, white hair, and beautiful face, she was like a porcelain doll. She had curves, although not as curvy as Rias or Akeno, but still good enough to make men drool. Her curves complimented her face, as too curvy would not suit her snow woman face at all. In her village, she wore kimono with snow patterns, but casually, she wore a blouse inside a jacket, skirt, and a scarf around her neck. Kaito described her as cold and beautiful petite onee-san with headphones on her neck.

Strength : Physical strength : Snow women were not suited for physical combat. Since they were originally adept seductress, but her human part made up for that. She was stronger than normal ogres, but against cyclopes and the likes, she was weaker. She was speedy, and liked hit-and-run style.

Yokai powers : She was adept in snow powers and mind control like most snow women. She could lure people in and put them in deep sleep before freezing them solid. She didn't like doing this, though.

Spirit powers : She possessed the power of original Shirayuki, as in controlling the coldest essence of ice. She could easily summon blizzards imbued with spirit powers or impale her opponents with ice stalagmites. She also had the spatial powers as an additional power.

Hobbies : Playing games, listening to music, teasing her little brother

Eva

Alias : -

Appearance : She possessed otherworldly beauty, like a tyrant queen. She had cerulean blue eyes with black sclera. Her proportions were great, and she could become a model without much effort. Her skin was a bit pale, and her hair was the color of bronze. She usually wore a red blouse with black jacket, with two obsidian bracelets that could become two swords, serving as her weapons.

Powers : Crystal manipulation : She could create and control black crystals with great mastery, forming all kinds of things, like huge snakes, golems, or even a copy of herself.

Swordmanship : She was adept in swordmanship, although not Kaito's level.

Hobbies : Travelling, playing with Kaito's clan, and helping her master

* * *

 **This is a short bio for my OCs. None of those powers will be too OP , since all of them have their own drawbacks.**


	23. Christmas OVA

**Merry Christmas for you all! *hohoho* Well, to celebrate the 100** **th** **like, and Christmas and New Year, I give you guys a special Christmas OVA. I wanted this to be done fast, but I want this to be really good, so I'm sorry if it's kinda late. *bow***

 **Highschool DxD is not mine.**

* * *

Kaito POV.

24 December. I couldn't believe it had been months since I first came to this school. Just think about it. In these months, several stray devils appeared, holy swords were stolen, I traumatized an arrogant Phenex brat, beat a fallen angel cadre, witnessed the peace treaty between 3 warring factions, and even fought in a war.

Geez, talk about bad luck.

Ever since I entered this school, things happened one after another. No chance to get bored at all, which was good. High-probability of death was not.

I hoped there wouldn't be anything major this Christmas, otherwise, the 'year-round trouble set' would be completed.

Well, it's not like my folks were too concerned about Christmas, so I bought a little ball, magically enchanted to display snow scenery inside. It contained a cottage, a decorated pine tree, and a snowman inside with snow falling down. And I also drew a Christmas tree and taped it to the wall as replacement for Christmas tree. Just to get the feel going, you know?

…

Okay, instead of spending time pitifully inside my room, guess I'd go to Issei's house, huh? His parents decorated the whole house with a tree and others. After that, I'd go to school since Rias and others would hold a party there. Then, maybe to my mansion later to party with my clan… Even Nura-nii and Hana would come.

" Hey. It's snowing already, huh?"

" *gulp* you're making me shocked with the spatial teleportation."

" Sorry, sorry. Well, since Kuroka-chan can't go to sekiryuutei's house or school, I'll keep her company here."

I raised my eyebrow.

" Who said she'd stay? I'm bringing her with me, as a cat, that is."

Kuroka, who was sitting on my bed, turned her attention towards me, tilting her head a bit.

" You want to see your sister, don't you? Consider it a Christmas gift from me."

Her eyes lit up with gratitude, then she pounced me like, well, a cat. Ugh, here comes the wet part. She licked my face like a cat. As a woman, she really had too little modesty. If it were a man other than me, she'd get into lots of troubles by acting like this. Well, she did miss her little sis, so I'd let that go for now.

" Thank you, thank you, thank you, Kaito-nyan! I really do want your babies now~"

" C'mon, Kuroka. Say those things to your special someone, or you'd cause a lot of misunderstanding."

I pushed her back and went to grab my scarf and jacket.

" You coming, nee-san?"

She nodded, ignoring the priceless faces of Raynare and Kuroka when I called her 'nee-san'. I grabbed my phone, wallet, and keys, stuffed them to my pockets, and went for the door. The others followed suit, and in no time, we were outside.

" There are still this many people outside…"

Raynare looked around. She was in her casual clothes with a maroon scarf. Since she was a fallen angel, she had natural resistance to cold and heat. At least, more so than humans. Kuroka, on the other hand, hated cold so much, she morphed to a black cat and snuck inside my jacket. Hana nee-san was just wearing her everyday clothes.

We reached Issei's house quicker than I thought. He was wearing santa's hat, with Akeno and Asia wearing santa suits. Umm, a bit indecent one at that. They both revealed their stomach with a bit of cleavage exposed due to the low cut. Akeno purposely had her skirt so short that she might as well just wear bloomers instead of skirt.

" Look, Issei. I know you're a major perv, but having these girls cosplay for you is a bit…"

" Actually, I didn't. I don't even know where they got those suits."

I looked over at Akeno and Asia, the sadist queen having an 'ufufu' expression like usual, while the nun fiddling with her skirt. I guess the clothes were their initiatives, huh? That's women in love for you. Dressing up for someone you like is an effective way to express your love. And that method seemed to work extremely well, judging from the red-stained tissues in Issei's hand.

" Issei-kun~ "

As Akeno pressed herself to Issei to gain his attention, the big pervert had a red stream falling down from his nostrils.

See? Quite effective.

Before Issei could collapse on the door, I pushed him inside, and laid him on the sofa. Judging from the amount of tissue, Akeno seemed very amused with the red Nigara from Issei's nose. Her sadistic nature must be very satisfied by now.

" It's rare to see you all here."

Issei sat on the living room after leaving Akeno to tend to food. Well, if she were too fixated on Issei, the chicken wouldn't start to cook itself. She told him to wait for a bit while they prepared the food. Bored, we got the PS 4 out and started playing tekken. By the time we reached the 4th match, food was done.

Issei's mom insisted that all of us ate together, but there was no way the food was enough, so I rejected. We'd eat again in the ORC, anyway. I brought some pickles, meat, noodles, and a little surprise for later occasion.

" DIE!"

Issei killed me with his character, (Chun Li, not surprising). He always fancied women like them. Well, I lost, anyway. It was his first win, so let him celebrate a bit. I took a short glance at the kitchen, and found the food was almost done. Excusing myself out would be a wise choice now, since there was no way the food was enough for all of us. If it were just myself, then okay, but with Raynare, Kuroka, and Hana… The numbers were just too much.

" Issei, I'm going to ORC first, you come later."

" Why?"

" I've got to buy things for the party. You know, for the yami-nabe?"

He thought for a while before nodding. His parents were a bit reluctant, but they believed my reason. Luckily, we were able to leave without any tension. Had it been a little late, and the food was done, I might not have been able to escape.

The others followed me to the school, albeit Kuroka stopping by to get some sweets. She insisted to get at least some gifts for her sister, despite her no knowing it was from her sister. Well, I had no reason to deny a sister's love, so it was all fine. I pretty much knew sweets she liked, so I was confident she'd accept it without protests.

" Thanks, Kaito-nyan. I wanted to give them to Shirone myself, but it would be too complicated, so could you give them in my stead?"

" You can, actually."

" How?"

" Cat, remember? Besides, Koneko won't be able to detect your energy if you're really serious about hiding it."

" Is she…still that afraid of Senjutsu?"

" From the looks of it, yes."

Kuroka had her head hung low, thinking how much trauma she inflicted on Koneko from that accident years ago. I really had to ask how a cat could pull off such depressed face. Her, or its ears were down, and her cat eyes were droopy. It was sad, really.

" Don't the devils even try to look for the case? Your horrible master should've been the one executed, not you."

Raynare picked up her pace and walked beside me.

" The devils heavily value the nobles. In the devil society, reincarnated devils are seen as, well, pieces to play live chess. You can't expect the higher-ups to kill off a high-class devil from a distinguished bloodline for his 'piece', right?"

" The devils are more similar to humans than I expected…"

Hana also commented at Kuroka's explanation.

" Not really. At least the devils are evil from the start. The fact that humans are in the grey area makes them far scarier."

I answered her comment. Devils were evil because they were, well, devils. But humans couldn't be judged like that. Discussion about that topic heated up, and we didn't realize we were already near the old building. People said that, but that building was in no less condition than the new one. In fact, it was somewhat better than the new one, since it was almost completely free from student's interruption.

" Hey, Kaito-kun. You came early."

Kiba was happily conversing with his deceased spirits of his friends. Well, at least he wasn't talking out loud with them again. It would be awkward if they talked about their time in church in class with too high volume. One thing to differentiate between spirits and yokai, was that spirits were strictly dead people who couldn't 'ascend' and stayed in this world as otherworldly visitors, while yokai consisted of mutations, demons, hybrid, and many other things. My surrogate bro Nurarihyon was quite awesome to be able to become the Supreme Commander of all of them.

Oh, I'm getting out of topic here.

Koneko was also there, happily eating an extra large candy cane. Wow, the special Christmas edition.

" _Come on. Give her."_

I urged Kuroka to come out from my jacket and carry the bag to her sister. The white-haired nekomata seemed to be delighted of having such a cute black cat carry sweets for her. She even hauled Kuroka up and hugged her lovingly.

Could a cat blush? Well, Kuroka certainly could.

The red hue was totally visible with her black skin. I signed to Kuroka to make her stop that obvious blushing, as cats did NOT blush. Alas, she was too engrossed with her sister to notice something like that.

Oh my god.

Koneko might not notice, but there was Rias and Kiba. I quickly covered them from sight. It was quite difficult, considering I had two people's eyes to cover.

" Kaito? What are you doing?"

Rias saw me moving suspiciously and voiced her doubts. Well, it was like I was trying to snatch the cat away with both Koneko and the cat resisting. Also, I emphasized on covering Kuroka's blush, making it even more awkward.

" Just… getting my stuff! Yeah, my—"

" Your bag is over here."

Raynare! You're not helping! As one last resort, I turned my plea to Hana. She nodded and wore a carefree look on her face.

" Kaito's always been a cat person. Maybe he's just jealous with Koneko?"

That got everyone's attention. Kuroka immediately realized and her blush was gone. But, I noticed a demon's smile forming on nee-san's face.

Uh Oh.

I had a very bad feeling about this.

That cute black cat was surrounded by Rias and Kiba. She was on Koneko's lap, so she couldn't exactly jump off.

" We're here. Hey, that's Kaito's cat, isn't it?"

Issei noticed Kuroka on Koneko's lap and also came, along with Asia and Akeno.

" Fufufufu~ Payback for you, naughty cat. Ufufufu~"

Onee-san's giggle was creeping me out. She looked like a snow woman chasing after her prey, and from experience, it was pretty scary. Just imagine a woman floating 5 inches from the ground chasing you with cold emotionless face while giggling.

No, stupid memory. You're making my knees buckle.

I didn't have the gall to look at her while in that mode, or I might just be the next target. That dark look on her face made feel cold inside.

Oh, right. Kuroka really hated being tickled unless by the ones she liked. Being tickled by several devils she had bad relationship with multiplied her rejection several folds. She was a devil, but hated devils.

She couldn't do anything but resist, though. Her identity needed to remain secret, at least for a while.

" Nyaaaa!"

Oh, she snapped.

She quickly ran to me and climbed to my head, peacefully resting. Well, although her shaped changed, she was still a woman inside, after all.

" Well, shouldn't we start?"

The ORC was already decorated with many things. Green circlets, santa hats, mistletoes, and many other Christmas-themed things were placed all around. Even a snowman was magically created on the corner of the room. The snow was enchanted, so even if the room had heater on, the shape would still be maintained.

Akeno brought in the pot filled with broth and heated it for a while. Then, Kiba turned off the light to begin the play. I glanced at my bag and gripped it close. It would be quite the uproar if the bags were switched. It had 'that' inside, after all…

" Everyone, did you bring the ingredients? Now, it's time to begin the ORC Truth or Dare, yami-nabe version!"

Rias acted as a host. She didn't wear her school uniform, just casual attire with reindeer band on her head. She even had a mic on, just to stay on part. All of us surrounded the big pot, and was ready with our own mix for the pot.

I hoped no one brought smelly old socks here, since that would be disgusting.

I gulped and prepared my ingredient, just simple raw meat. I came in last, so I had to wait for a while.

I still don't understand how this TOD yami-nabe version worked, though.

" Basically, you guess the content of the pot. If no one can guess right, the one bringing the thing inside will choose someone as victim. If guessed right, the guesser will pass judgement to the bringer."

…

Wow, nice explanation.

It's to make victims or get victimized, eh? Quite the cruel game.

" First is…Kiba!"

Even though it was so dark, I could imagine him smiling with mischievous ikemen style. I'd let it slip for now, and let others get victimized first. I wanted to know, just how frightful the members of ORC were. If there were people to be wary of, I'd say Rias, Akeno, and Hana. Especially, Akeno for her sadistic tendencies.

I heard the sound of something falling into the soup.

" Now, time to taste!"

I shoved my chopsticks inside and pulled what Kiba put in out. I put it inside my mouth with slight shivering on my hand. Eating something unknown seemed somewhat scary for me. Who knew if Kiba had too much sword fetish and decided to bring in metal nuggets?

I sure hope not.

Oh, what's this? Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside. The insides were… mashed potato and meat?

" Croquettes, right?

" On spot, Issei-kun."

Perverts' most hated archenemy, ikemen smile, was directed at Issei full-force. I could feel him squirming in hatred AND jealousy. How did he do it, anyway? It was dark, and even with devils' eyesight, he could only see so much.

Uh Oh

What tragedy would befall Kiba Yuuto?

" YES! Kiba, I dare you to peek on the kendo girls tomorrow! I'll show you the gentlemen's paradise!"

As unfortunate as it was, the fierce kendo females were not absent despite of it being holiday. They were really serious about aiming for championship. And our big pervert was about to realize how different he was from Kiba.

Ikemen vs pervert, that is.

" Can't I pick truth, then?"

Kiba retorted, being a gentleman he was. Issei fell in deep thought for a while, before having a light bulb overhead.

" Then, explain your favorite part of a woman to all of us."

I could hear Kiba gritting his teeth in pure desperation. Well, it was nice knowing you, Kiba. I hoped you'd get more pleasant dares after this.

" …Thighs."

His voice was so low that I, with my dragon ears, could barely hear it.

" Come again? We can't hear you~"

Revenge.

This was revenge for all the Yuusei shipping all across Kuoh from a pervert in all its glory. Issei must be particularly infuriated with the fact that woman preferred him bending. Also for getting the girls' attention from him all the time, with his prince-like smile. Well, I expected something like this, but Issei, what in the world?

" I like thigh part. They're soft and supple, and support movement from the whole body…."

By the way, Kiba was gripping his sword's pommel hard by now. I kinda expected him to lunge with Felo'melorn and separate Issei's head from his shoulders, but he must have better self-control than I did, since that was exactly what I'd do.

Issei, satisfied after getting his fill, returned to his seat and laughed at Kiba's beet red face. If the lights were on, I bet he'd love to snap a photo or two.

" Next is me."

Rias' feminine voice stood out and sloshing sound could be heard. I waited for someone to try it first. Hearing no lifeless 'thud' nearby, I decided it was at least safe enough to eat and swallow. I had my will written below my bed, in case I didn't return.

" _Hmm… what's this? Sour, but a little sweet. Fruit? But, what…"_

I pondered silently while others made wild guesses.

" Strawberry!" Issei exclaimed.

" Nope."

" Raspberry!" Raynare tried.

" Nope."

After a lot of fruits guesses, Rias finally revealed the content.

" Just some dragon fruit dipped in vinegar and sugar."

Well, it wasn't the most common fruit, so I wasn't that surprised. Rias's vast array of knowledge helped her this time. When I heard of dragon fruit, I thought it was one of those apples Tannin grew in Underworld for his fellow dragons. However, it was a type of purple fruit with white insides indigenous in America.

I had natural predator's eyes that could see in the dark, so I saw Rias crossing her arms under her wonderful bosom in triumph.

" Kaito! Truth or dare?"

" Truth."

" What is the most embarrassing moment in your life? Don't try to lie, now."

" Dare, then."

The fact that Rias had conversed too much with my album really irritated me. Seriously, did the dwellers of my room have to place my most embarrassing thoughtography outputs on such obvious places? She adopted a malicious grin and plopped herself to my lap. With the most innocent smile a devil could pull off, she turned to me and kissed my forehead.

Wait, smooched?

I felt heat rising up to my face as Rias giggles and some death glares and scoffs entered my ears.

" Mind telling me why you want to do this dare?"

" Well, I was getting cramps, and I believe your lap is the best place to relieve it."

" Really? Then, I'll get a pillow—"

Rias sighed and wriggled around on my lap. Not that she was heavy or anything, but a devil as she was, she was still a girl. A girl sitting on a man was downright bad.

" Take a hint, you stupid."

She pouted, although some females around had a sigh, and Raynare was obviously laughing. Was me being tortured so funny to her?

" Like I said, I'll bring a pillow—"

" Mou! Just stay the way you are already! For the rest of the game!"

" Yes, ma'am."

I silently cursed my bad luck and the game went on.

Koneko had been found by Raynare, who told her to go add some –nya in her speech. Raynare lost to Akeno, who was getting the fallen angel tied up in quite kinky way. Hana won a trip promise to the mall tomorrow with me, although I'd do it without a dare. Who'd refuse a friendly invite to mall, anyway?

Asia got to sit on Issei's lap, by Raynare. Really, Asia x Issei was quite obvious with Asia's reactions, but that dense Issei still couldn't take a hint. I wouldn't expect such thick skull from the one who always shouted about getting a harem.

" Nyaa~ Who's going now, nyan?"

Ooh, that style suited the white nekomata well.

" Me. Ufufu~ This will be fun. Are you ready, Issei-kun?"

Even the pervert gulped at the promises of pain hidden beneath her voice. By far, she was the most dangerous person to oppose in this game, and her turn had finally come. Mind you, her giggles were scary as hell.

She put in something into the pot, and urged others to taste it.

" Uuhh… you sure it's safe, Kaito?"

Hana leaned close and whispered her doubts to my ear.

" Let's hope we're still alive next year."

She gave off a rather nervous laugh and scooped what Akeno had put in into her bowl. Honestly, I was rather skeptic whether to put in something with high danger potential inside my mouth and let it fall inside the body. Not even the strongest of men would drink a poison willingly, and I had every intention to do the same.

" Here goes!"

I plopped the thing inside my mouth, and at the moment I chomped, a burst of liquid erupted inside with smell of iron and gore. I kept up chomping, ignoring the foul smell and the weird texture, although I seriously wanted to puke right now.

The others had similar expressions, and Kiba had used his superior speed to dash straight to the toilet. Koneko was pale, Issei's face was green, Issei was trying his hardest not to faint, both Rias and Raynare was gracefully using tissue to get the thing out of their mouth. Hana had one hand on her mouth, and gave out a very rude gesture to the priestess with the other hand.

" Ara, ara. Since no one is able to guess, then I suppose I'll tell you what it is now. Well, as some of you may expect, it's…"

I put two hands to cover my mouth and positioned myself ready for a spirit travel straight to toilet. Hana had cut open a dimensional portal in front of her, while others were waiting for the bizarre revelation.

" Fresh chicken heart."

Asia fainted with a soft thud.

I transferred both my spirit and physical body into the ethereal world, all for the purpose of getting this piece of gore out of my system. Hana jumped into the portal, Koneko's face turned completely green as she also dashed out of the room. Rias and Raynare both had dark look on their faces. Akeno still had her 'onee-san' look on with her usual giggle, but I didn't pay too much attention as I instantly covered considerable distance with one leap, and puked everything inside my mouth in the toilet. I didn't even bother looking at the red gore and flushed it away before anything other than the taste could invade my mind.

" You okay?"

Kiba was still pale, so was I. He had longer time to recuperate, but we were interrupted as Issei made a mad dash to the sink and emptied his mouth. Apparently, he was the only one who had no means to transport instantly, so in this case, I respected his stomach's durability. I bet the clubroom was empty by now, with all its residents fleeing from Akeno's terror.

" I guess. Guaahh… I can't get the taste out of my mouth."

I groaned and walked back to the clubroom.

" Me too. I didn't think to get fed by some chicken heart in Christmas… Maybe I'd turn to vegan if I didn't puke out immediately."

" Well, I'm done with red meat for a while now."

" Amen to that, partner."

He should've received slight damage from that, but thanks to his holy natured powers, he got away without any repercussions.

We returned to the clubroom quicker than everyone else, well, except our sadist queen, of course. She must have steel abdomen and nerves to ignore such thing. But, blood was somehow tasty. I wondered if I could recover some strength by sapping life force contained inside?

" That was hell."

Hana came in, barely standing. Her face was still light green, in contrast to her usual pale, marble-like white skin. I quickly helped her sit down and offered her some water. Really, that queen just had to go this far.

There was someone knocking, and opened the door without waiting an answer. Xenovia came in, drenched from head to toe, with her bag on. She appeared to be shivering, and bowed to Rias despite that.

" I-I-I'm so-sorry, buchou. I got lost in the crowd and ended up somewhere. When I wanted to come back, there was a ha-hail coming, and I was hindered."

However, when she looked at the corners of our mouth, with blood dripping to our chin, she suddenly chanted.

" Saint Basil, Saint Dionysus, and Virgin Mary. By the names of the saint within this blade, I release thee! Durandal!"

She unleashed her sword and pointed it to me.

" What did you do to my master and friends?! Turning them into vampires?!"

" _In a way, I guess we all look like vampires."_

" Xenovia, no! We were just playing yami-nabe here. This red liquid is just a part of the ingredient Akeno brought."

Rias stopped her before the ORC club turned to a total horror site, courtesy of Durandal. The blue haired muscle-girl seemed to understand and also sat down inside the circle. I was unable due to Rias's claim to my lap right now, so Hana was the one who turned off the light. Well, one terror done, the next was waiting. Who knew what kind of food Issei would bring? If he brought some pervy things out, I'd hang him on his ass from that window over there.

" Okay, my turn!"

Issei was quite energetic despite having empty bowels. That fact alone made me fear what might happen for what might happen next.

" There! Well, good luck guessing it~"

Okay, I might want to skip on this. Eating fresh chicken heart had already taken my endurance to its limit, and I had no idea whether to ditch this game and run for my life, or just sit by silently to let my body recover a bit.

" Here, Kaito, aaahh~"

Woman, what were you trying to accomplish? Were you making sure I couldn't escape this horrendous fate of mine? While I was contemplating, Rias shoved in whatever Issei put in earlier into my mouth.

Hmm~

This soft and juicy texture was nothing like I'd ever tasted. It was too soft to be beef, and I was very sure it wasn't chicken. Pork, perhaps? But, it had too little fat to be one…

Maybe high-quality meat tasted different? I had no idea.

Seeing no one was able to guess the content correctly, he crossed his arms in triumph.

" So, Issei. What's this? You'd better not say frog meat or you'll lose one of your family jewels, I mean it."

His face turned pale.

" Isseeeii… I can't hurt a girl but I can surely hurt you, you know~"

Yep. I could be certain this was frog meat. In elementary school, he used to joke about something like this during Valentine to prank those lovey-dovey couples and pretty boys. I never thought he'd implement that idea during this game. And in a den of devils, no less!

He's dead.

{It was nice knowing you, partner}

Ddraig's voice boomed from his left hand, and he was left alone. Well, not alone. He was with a bunch of murderous bunch who'd love to get HIS meat as the next surprise ingredient. It was high time to paint this Christmas bloody red. Not by me, but by others who couldn't exactly hurt the yamato nadeshiko of Kuoh.

" What should we do, Kaito? Feeding his master frog meat… He must be punished accordingly, don't you think?"

" Didn't your vice president do the same just now?"

" That is that, this is this. I can't exactly dish out punishment for her here with everyone watching, can't I?"

I let myself ponder with that thought for a while. Indeed, being a heavy fan of S&M, Akeno would be happier to be punished with everyone watching. It was like… the best punishment ever for her.

" So, tell me what you think."

My eyes glowed red a bit, and I flashed a predator grin at cowering Issei. This perverted dragon needed a little lesson on how to NOT put frog meat inside a hotpot.

" Hang him on the window upside-down with nothing but his boxers."

We all turned our attention solely at the cowering Issei, like lions preying on a wounded gazelle. Oh, the agony. Oh, the irony. The dragon would become the hunted soon, very soon.

" Good idea."

We all towered above him like giants, ready to show our own version of hell to this lost lamb.

" NOOOO!"

* * *

" Now with that settled. Your turn, Kaito."

My eyes were fixated on Issei's naked form, only covered by his boxers. Even for a devil, being exposed to a hail of snow outside must be quite excruciating. The shame he got from the eyes of unlucky onlookers just became the icing of his agony.

I opened my own ingredient bag and let its content in the pot.

" Itadakimasu!"

Oh, that lucky pervert.

Akeno fed him with her own chopsticks. It wouldn't be punishment if he enjoyed this, would it? I should've tied him on the pole instead, and let him become the next great monument of Japan.

The Naked Oppai-lover.

Sounds good enough.

As I waited for others to taste, Hana nudged her elbow to me.

" What?"

" Is this… the souvenir you brought back from village?"

" Yes. I thought this was the best time to share it. My family can't eat all of it, and I'd have to tell them where it's from, anyway."

" Oh, man. Let's hope for the best, then."

Kiba chewed on the meat for a while and commented.

" What's this? This meat is juicy and a bit salty, just the perfect combination!"

" The perfect hardness and taste-nya."

" Kaito, where did you get such high-quality meat?"

Koneko and Rias turned to me.

" Last week, I went somewhere for some job, and I got this as souvenir."

" Where?"

" Somewhere… deep in the mountains. You don't want to know."

Not liking my secretive attitude, the woman on top of my lap decided to be mischievous now, of all times. She wiggled her hips around, making me pretty uncomfortable down here. Tired of being her living toy, I placed my palms on her spleen.

" Oh, you're so bold, Kaito."

After being done with my business, I quickly removed my hands before the whole ORC could murder me. Albeit a bit confused, Rias tried to continue doing her little stunt from earlier.

Well, I thought. Try it.

She soon found she wasn't touching my lap, but thin air.

" Basic poltergeist."

I whispered at her and let her down right after. Okay, my brain must be going haywire now. The great lady of Kuoh, Rias Gremory, blushing? She was lucky only I had advanced night predator's vision.

" But still… What is this meat? I can't believe this is beef or chicken—"

" Monster meat."

Hana cut Kiba off midway. They all looked at her as if she was utterly and completely insane.

" From the village I came from, there was this beast we eat as substitute for beef or chicken. My tribe doesn't interact with people much, and we can't have cows or chickens on top of the mountain, right?"

" So, this meat is actually from where you traveled last week, Kaito?"

" Yep, Issei. They say this meat is best barbecued. But, hey, I want to try the hotpot style instead of barbeque."

" Man, you went to a village full of hot babes and you didn't tell me!"

" Not hot, cold. They're snow women, for your information."

" Yeah, but still…"

" Trust me. You don't wanna go there like I did. Too cold, too troublesome. Seriously, Issei, trust me on this."

I doubted he'd still want to see the women up there with all the frost wyrms and wendigos and probably a thousand kinds of monsters lurking around there.

" …Fine. But, next time you're going to a place full of succubus or something, count me in."

" IF I ever go."

Honestly, I didn't want to go to a den full of life-force sucking women with too much charm for their own good. That would probably suck, literally.

" Kaito, do I get to dare you?"

" I guess. What kind of dare, though?"

She smiled, put a finger on her mouth, and winked.

" Secret."

I could only sigh at her careless attitude.

* * *

The hotpot was finally done, and Issei was still hanging on the window, since Akeno was happier with watching him than letting him down. The rest of ORC, Raynare, and Kuroka (black cat form) were watching movies and talking together inside when I was suddenly pulled into a portal.

" Shhh… Calm down."

Nee-san's voice. I relaxed and looked at my kidnapper.

" The dare?"

She nodded.

I looked at our location and it was Kuoh Academy's clock tower. The building itself was quite tall, so you could see the whole city from there. Wow, the city's still high on spirits despite the cold. Normally, they'd already holed up inside their homes and warmed up, preferably with Christmas trees and mistletoes.

" Well, nee-san. What do you want me to do?"

" First off… I want you to call my name. Don't just call me 'nee-san' all the time."

I looked down, regretful that I might've made her mad by calling her 'nee-san' all the time. It was too childish of me.

" …Hana."

" Say it again."

" Hana."

She seemed to enjoy it. Shouldn't people call her with name? That would explain this dare. Her parents might call her 'daughter' or 'princess' too much, that she lost sight of her own name. Names defined people, and a brand they were recognized with. The first thing you knew about someone was their name, correct?

" Kaito, my dare to you… stay with me."

She leaned on the railings, enjoying the marvelous sight of city night. The lights seemed like fireflies, ever moving slightly. The buildings' lights were beautiful, they seemed so alive, yet so silent. The proof that this city was alive.

" Stay…huh?"

People came by, and disappeared in time. Some stayed, some went on their separate ways. Only time could tell who'd do so.

" Hana nee-san… You know why I would make a very good assassin, right?"

" Yes."

" Do you still want me to stay? I'll disappear eventually, and you know that."

" Yes and yes. You might disappear from everyone's mind, and you might be hard to be noticed by most people…"

She turned to me and smiled.

" But, I won't."

One word that represented all my doubts.

" Why?"

She put her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed by my question. But, I had to ask why. I, who always disappeared without anyone knowing, was told by her that she wanted me to stay. Was it sympathy? Was it debt? Or just her righteous heart?

" Do I really have to spell it out?"

I nodded.

" Well, Kaito…"

I stared at the eyes, yellow orbs to blue ones.

" If you can name the feelings when your heart tighten near someone special, and you just don't want to let them go no matter what, then your eyes always find them whenever and wherever you are, that just being with them makes your day, you'll know."

Heart tightens…

Not letting go…

And finally, everything will be fine if she's here…

"…Love?"

She nodded.

" So, will you stay with me?"

I accepted her hand, which felt strangely warm despite her status as half ice yokai.

" Always."

* * *

 **Aaaah, I suck at writing romance. Keep in mind that this is OVA and will have nothing to do with the story. Thanks for reading.**

 **R &R will be appreciated.**


	24. Another Summer, Another Trouble

**Hello, and I'm very sorry for the extremely long delay. Finally, my exams are over, and well, I can finally write again.**

 **I'm really relieved that I can really write again, and I'm really touched that, despite this storybeing buried for months, people still read it.**

 **Well, that's it for now, and let's begin!**

 **Highschool DxD is certainly not my property.**

* * *

Kaito POV

Today was hot, so awfully hot.

I had to drag myself to school under this merciless assault from the one and only star in solar system. After that long walk, I finally arrived at school only to find the AC broken. Now, my class had to endure a whole day in scorching heat.

Sigh… Best day ever.

Break period…

" Hey, Issei. Where did you steal all that energy from? It's so hot and you're still peachy."

The pervert dragon emperor turned to me with stars shining in his eyes, and a little blood flowing from his nose. He looked so full of himself, and patted my shoulder.

" Tsk, tsk, tsk. Young one, it seems your sight is lost. There is some blessing… ouch, in this scorching heat."

…

He'd lost it, obviously. Even his way of talking was akin to the samurai in a film we watched yesterday. Moreover, he got hurt when mentioning something holy.

" Feast your eyes, young one. This paradise is presented by yours truly."

He nudged at the class. At first, I wondered what made him so excited, but then I realized a very grave mistake I made.

I had underestimated Issei's perversion.

In front of me was truly a heavenly sight for males. Kuoh academy was famous for having a lot of beautiful females as a former women only academy. All of them suffered in this heat, not noticing the effects it took on their clothes and behavior.

Transparent white uniform that revealed what underneath...

The curves from the clothes that refused to part with their skin...

The sexy feeling emanating from almost every female there made almost all male population in the class rejoice.

" Just from the class, it's already heavenly! Just imagine what we can gain from our sacred hole!"

" Hooray!"

" Banzai!"

The perverted trio in action sure was a sight to remember. I tried to ignore the heat and put my arms on the table, ready to lie down and get some sleep. Just before my consciousness could fade to dreams, a feminine voice woke me up.

" Kurayama, will you come to the kendo club room later?"

" Later, sis. 5 minutes…"

I wasn't fully conscious that time, and was muttering something completely unintentional. The next sound snapped me awake and aware.

" Sis? Seriously, what were you dreaming, sleepyhead?"

" Ah, Murayama? Sorry about that."

The brown haired girl leaned a bit, unintentionally giving me a view of certain sweaty parts. No doubt about it, wet and transparent uniform was dangerous. I turned away to save my brain from overheating.

" I asked, could you come to the kendo club room later?"

" Okay, but why so sudden?"

She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

" When I tried to oblite- ehem, test you, some of the club girls saw our spar and wanted to see you in action again."

I sighed, remembering the stares I felt on previous spar. I never thought they'd be so intrigued in something like that. And wait a minute, oblite- what? She wanted to say obliterate, didn't she?

" You do know I am clueless about kendo. And that club's female only."

" It's fine! Just… come and give them some pointers, alright?"

" No problem. I've got nothing to do anyway."

All I wanted was to sleep and forget all about this scorching heat. If I, a human, was suffering due to heat, I wondered how devils other than pervy-sei were faring.

* * *

I walked to the kendo clubroom, which was right next to old building. I was still tired from all the ordeals I'd faced recently, and honestly, still wanted some more deep sleep. That was why I walked wobbly and yawned a lot.

Raynare had gone to ORC with Asia, Xenovia and Issei. Right now, they must be relaxing in that air-conditioned room. Man, I just wanted to get on that huge and soft sofa to sleep….

" Whoa, you look awful."

" How awful, from one to ten?"

" Since your look is quite okay in the first place, I'd say three."

Great, that meant the slash injuries on my chest and stomach started acting up again. That sickly blue colored stuff must've sapped my energy. Even now, I still had no way of completely healing those injuries.

That explained why I felt so sleepy.

I had completely purged that scumbag emperor from this world, but he certainly left lasting marks on me. Even fatal wounds would heal in one day because of my rapid healing, but this frozen wound lasted for about a week already.

" Yeah, okay. Let's get inside."

Murayama smirked and followed behind. How kind of her to wait outside for me… when the kendo clubroom was cool! There were 2 ACs, making the room cool enough to expel the heat from my body.

" We were just unlucky back then. A mouse bit off the AC's cable, making it unusable. Now that you're here, you can enjoy some AC! Cool, right?"

" The air is cool."

She face palmed at my reply and sighed. Well, I wasn't lying, and I felt like being a little mischievous today. Then, she picked up some black clothes and gave them to me.

" Here. You said something about this club being only female, so I thought of having your uniform different."

" Well, thanks. You didn't really have to, you know."

I said that, but I received it nonetheless. The clothes were like the garments used under kendo armor, only black.

After getting changed and doing some light exercises, I walked into gym, which also served as kendo club's room. Luckily, I was used to wearing clothes like this, so this black kimono looked very natural on me. I wondered, where did they get something like this?

" Hoho, a perfect fit!"

" He looks completely different!"

" Kyaah! Yakuza-san!"

The last one interested me. True, the way I carried myself when I was in leader mode made me look like a Japanese mafia. Plus yukianesa and muramasa strapped on my waist… Perhaps I should consider assimilating yakuza into my image instead of samurai.

" Give him the sword, give him!"

One girl nearly tripped when bringing me a wooden sword. She regained her composure quickly, but still, she fell to me. I grabbed the blade, stopping her fall in process. As if she was a princess, she slowly looked up, meeting my eyes with hers.

" Uhm, Katase, right? You okay?"

" Ye-yes! Don't worry about me!"

She stuttered, then went back to her fellow kendo practicioners. I decided to forget that accident and just move on. Shortly later, all the other members of this club had gathered around me, fully geared from head to toe in kendo armor.

They even added more than the standard issue set. Probably because they were girls?

" Where's your protective gear?"

One of them had this judging look on her face and glared at me as if I killed her puppy. Well, I did murder some gruesome fire-breathing puppies here not too long ago.

" He prefers not wearing one. He said such gear wouldn't help much in a real battle."

Murayama interjected before me. She then sent a little, almost unnoticeable gesture with her hand to go with the flow.

" Actually, kenjutsu club back then was different from kendo. They use realistic sword fights, unlike kendo which focuses on competitions."

Several 'ooh' and 'I see' were said out loud, and that was the end of my little introduction. I'd rather not draw this too long, as I grew nervous under people's eyes. Surely using kenjutsu would dispel any suspicion they had about me, right?

" Okay, now let's see your basics—"

" Wait!"

Another one also raised her voice. I turned to face her.

" Yes, what is it?"

" Well, it's just that we heard Kurayama Kaito is a dark and gloomy freak who sucked at sports and didn't peek on girls along with the perverted trio because he was gay?"

Honestly, woman, I couldn't believe this situation just like you. True, I was dark and antisocial, but the gloomy part? Did I really look like a dark emo?

And that last rumor… I had to do something about this, mostly finding the culprit and frying him alive.

That really turned off the mood…

" Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you, just…"

I waved my head to stop her and put on my default poker face, hiding the sadistic tortures I'd devised for the culprit. Raynare and Rias often told me to smile more, but my face was not accustomed yet.

" It's fine. I am only friends with Issei, and the last part is deadly WRONG. Issei's a huge pervert, but he doesn't have a dishonest bone in him. This…"

My sword was put on shoulder, like how I usually would do to relax before a fight.

" …is just one part I rarely show."

They went back to gossiping again. It wasn't like males wouldn't talk trash behind your back, but woman's tongue was far more vicious. That was why I'd rather treat gossips as hypothesis instead of fact, because the twists from the trash talk could change the actual event.

I'd said this and would say it again… women are scary.

" Alright, enough chats! So, like he said, basics!"

Murayama clapped her hands and everyone went to their positions quickly. I neared her and whispered.

" You sure it's okay for them to use heavy armor while not sparring?"

" Why not? It's good to make body get used to the armor's weight."

" I see… you're pretty strict on them, huh?"

" To win… We have to struggle."

The kendo club all did their basic moves, steps, slashes, and other regular moves. One distinct feature in kendo was the use of both hands. That style allowed maximum strength in cost of versatility. That was why I rarely used that style unless cornered. With sharpness of my standard, you wouldn't need too much to cut even steel.

Besides, I'd rather dual wield than use two hands on one blade.

After 30 minutes, they were done with their basics. I spun the sword in my hand and struck the floor with it. I heard kendo club always sacrificed most of their summer breaks to train and aim for nationals, and at least, their resolve touched me a little.

I meant, you could laze around and sleep until noon. I would certainly choose that over getting all tired and sweaty with training.

To response that determination, I thought, it would be fine to offer them some useful insights.

" Alright. Now, since Kurayama-kun knows squat about kendo, how about sparring with him? In the end, kendo's a sword play, and I assure you, he's formidable."

So kendo club captain wanted me to have a spar with them? Considering my zero knowledge on any sword style other than my own, that was logical. I was more of the type of guy that learned in a fight, anyway.

" I'll be saying this first, Kurayama-kun, don't underestimate us just because we're women. No one will learn anything if you don't get serious."

" Was our spar last time serious enough for you?"

She smiled valiantly and nodded. Huh… This girl should hook up with Kiba. I had the feeling they'd match up quickly.

" Alright. I'll set that as standard."

From the sword rack, I grabbed yet another sword. I knew dual-wielding was unheard of by these kendo girls, but as Murayama said, no need to worry about stuffs like that. My job here was to help them improve, nothing else.

" Reflex is vital in battles AND competitions alike. Especially kendo, which demands quick and accurate reaction. No matter how speedy you move, you can't block attacks if you can't react fast enough."

They all chattered in confusion. Well, my words were indeed a little strange, but that was true. I'd seen (and fought) countless fighters whose movements could reach mach speed, but were trashed by an unexpected attack because they couldn't react fast enough (including me).

For example, a battle between a certain knight of a certain red-headed girl versus the self-proclaimed childhood friend some time ago, which ended in the knight's loss.

" So, who wants to go first?"

I noticed the disagreement in their eyes and put one blade down. In the end, it should be the same, right? All of us would use both hands to fight. But, their place, their rules.

They all looked at each other for a while until one finally raised her hand.

" I'll try."

Phew. This silence was starting to kill me. She stepped forward and wore her helmet. Then, she grabbed her blade and wielded it in a regular kendo position.

Like I said, wielding a sword with both hands diminished speed, although it increased power. So, one thing they needed wasn't just speed, but the reaction. That way, even though the enemy was faster, they'd still be able to block and parry.

I glanced at Murayama, and she walked between me and the challenger. As she set her arm in the middle area, my opponent's eyes sharpened and her awareness increased. I smiled in contempt, and drew my sword back and bent my body down a little.

Perhaps the kendo club had more potential than I thought.

" DOO~!"

She dashed forward, aiming for a stab. Alright, the tough part was to look serious when fighting this gal, when she moved a little too clumsily for my standard.

I didn't even move from that spot. I just side-stepped, making her blade barely graze my stomach. Of course, it was nearly non-existent, and what minimal movements I used were risky, but they were effective. I raised my blade high above her and struck down.

…

" What are you doing?"

I sighed while putting my bokuto away from an inch above her head. I stopped my strike just before it touched her, and what did she do? She put both hands on her head and shivered!

Moreover, she dropped her sword, letting it hit with a loud thunk.

She broke out of her stupor and opened her eyes, then put down her hands. I scratched my hair a few times in this awkward situation, then offered her a hand.

" Thanks."

" What was that?"

I pulled her up and whispered. No one else could hear due to her position. True, I might have the power, but just using that to crush these girls' mental and rebuild it again wasn't what I wanted. I saw her shaking her head a little, and nodded. I let her rejoin the rest of the team.

She was afraid of getting hit.

That much I could conclude from our clash earlier. My swing wasn't that fast, and still in normal levels. As clumsy as she was, she could jump away or maybe use her sword to block. When I was still lost in thought, Murayama closed her distance.

" She was an attacker. She'd strike rapidly to give the enemy no chance of countering. Truth be told, no one had ever seen you counter her like that."

" Really? Was she always afraid of swords?"

Murayama sighed and crossed her arms under her chest. I suddenly understood why Issei and friends craved to have a good look at her for once. Her body was quite alluring for a human.

No, no, no! Issei, you sick pervert! Get those pervert's seeds out of my brain!

" I haven't seen anyone capable of attacking her."

Once again, perhaps I'd set my bar a little too high here. However, I was quite sure that Murayama had enough speed to avoid and parry her every blow.

" Have you tried her yourself?"

" Nope."

Hhh… What a joke. She was too confident of her members. Well, that was a good quality, but in the same time, the most fatal flaw. At this rate… her club's standard would fall too low, and eventually, she alone had to bear the burden.

Cruel? Of course. But, that was the truth.

*Ring, ring*

" Yeah, what is it?"

I gestured with my hand to the captain and went away to the door.

" _Kaito, you're in the gym, right?"_

" Yep. What's the matter, buchou? I'm just helping them out a bit, that's all."

" _Whatever you do, don't let anyone out of there."_

The gym had soundproof walls, and it was quite big, so even my dragon's ears couldn't hear what happened outside. Whatever was happening outside, I was positive that was something awful.

Of course, a part of me was glad I didn't get involved, yet another part was screaming to take off and make sure everyone was safe.

Just like a cliché main protagonist.

" Murayama-san. Could you please take over for a while? I have something to do."

As if on cue, the whole gym shook, inducing fear and panic of everyone inside. Lady luck took my side this time. There was no way anyone would dare get out of here with this kind of event unfolding.

My heart raced hard, cursing the actions I chose. It had been so long since I realized I was by no means, a protagonist. I killed, I suffered, and still received far less than I'd expected. Hard work betrayed none, but the results did. I took the hard way of realizing that this man called Kurayama Kaito could never be anything more than a side-character.

A lord… A hunter, but a cameo nonetheless.

" _You're an assassin, never forget that."_

The elder was right. I wasn't the type who fought head-on. I was dark and gloomy, and I could never hope to become the cool leader like Nura-nii. But, all I got was bitter taste of disappointment.

I acted strong and cool, but truthfully, I lost a lot of times. The times with that cursed plant-hunter, Caligula, and even that mad nemesis of mine who brutally murdered Akane… Almost all of them were close calls.

So, screw protagonists and cameos!

I didn't want to live in my past regrets only to get more to mourn in the future. I only had few people I cared about, and I wasn't about to lose anyone anymore! Cheesy, but seriously, I'd had enough already. Raynare almost died, Jeanne almost becoming a freaking sacrifice, and of course…

" Akane-chan… I'm sorry."

Once again, the building would've experienced a massive tremor, inducing a panic, if the shock actually reached it. I'd generated a thin invisible barrier around the building. This school's repair bills were getting ridiculous, especially after Kokabiel incident.

Like, this gym totally vanished from the face of Kuoh, courtesy of Mr. Evil rat-face Kokabiel.

That guy's got serious problem. A war in this day and age? Anyway, he's down for good, and hopefully, would bother us no more.

Yukianesa materialized in my hand, ready to cool some troublesome people's head. Forever, if necessary. I gripped the leather pommel hard, and unsheathed the blade of pure permafrost. Its blade released thick icy mist, generating so much cold that the air itself was frozen.

Just when I closed the door behind me, Kiba landed beside my foot.

" Oh, hey. You okay, dude?"

" Been better. You?"

" Peachy."

I let him lie down for a while, ignoring his plea to fight again. Seriously, this guy needed to suck up and cease being reckless once in a while.

About 20 meters from me, five persons were battling against the Gremory formation. Issei as spearhead, Koneko and Kiba as his back-ups, Rias and Akeno casting spells from behind them, and finally Asia at the rear with Xenovia protecting her.

Although one player was already out of the game.

What made me uneasy wasn't the fact that they were merely humans armed with sacred gear or weapons, but their amateurish movements. Frankly, Kiba being taken out was probably just some stroke of luck.

That was one of my biggest mistakes.

When I dashed forward and sliced on an enemy's side, I suddenly felt a chill on my nape and jumped away. I couldn't. With blood-colored frost on his side and a madman's eyes, he gripped my left wrist with strength far surpassing that a mere human could ever possess. On his other arm, a red phantom shaped like a gauntlet was glowing and giving him power somehow.

" _An incomplete_ _ **Twice Critical**_ _… But how? Even Issei with_ _ **Boosted Gear**_ _can't hold me in place, but this…. Human just stopped me with a mere Twice Critical, incomplete, no less."_

I realized that marking them as small fries was very… stupid. Just think about it. Issei was a former human, yet he could boost enough power to eventually defeat a God. Heck, I was still human, and I could wipe the floor with hundreds of monsters of Greek Mythology several weeks ago.

Really, stupid me.

His grip tightened and the phantom gauntlet gained a more physical form. Then, I sensed the grip strength suddenly doubled. What the hell, he didn't double his strength yet?! With 5 of them, no wonder Kiba got turned to a road-kill.

" Kaito! What are you doing here?! I told you to stay inside and keep those girls in!"

Rias practically screamed at me. Sure, her order was ignored, but staying inside just wasn't like me.

She frowned, but it looked like she thought of my precautions as enough. Besides, I'd created a barrier to prevent the gym from collapsing on the club AND from anyone trying to get out.

" _But, what kind of humans are they? I can't believe Kiba got a major beat-up like that."_

Issei was still unable to don his armor. But, he was promoted to 'queen' the moment Rias acknowledged this battlefield as enemy's base. That way, he could boost his strength and speed of both knight and rook.

However, even with the defensive power of a rook, he still took quite a lot of damage. Sure, they were not to be underestimated, but to push all of them like this….

The armored arm gripping me was moved, intending to throw me away. I was no ragdoll, so of course I retaliated. Instead, I put strength to my arm and pulled as hard and as fast as I could, then pushed forward.

Needless to say, his body was flung back and hit the ground, sliding a little before getting stopped by a tree.

" Guhaa~ Damn it… You….Devil scums…"

He spat blood and tried to pull himself together, only to get a loving kiss from Mother Gaia once again.

" I'm a human, though."

His consciousness had faded away before I could correct his blatant mistake. Well, whatever. He wouldn't make troubles for a while now.

One down, four to go.

Hmmm~ I had to admit, their strength was beyond my expectations, but once they're dry, even a push could put them out cold.

Almost like… a certain method to release sacred gear.

Back when Asia's rings were extracted, the cross purposely made her gear berserk, resulting the green aura surrounding her body. Once the power was spent, her gift could be snatched away in cost of her life.

Then, Rias' peerage began pushing back, launching coordinated assaults the enemies couldn't hold off so easily. One of them held a bracelet sacred gear that generated blue energy disks for many uses. Its smaller versions could be thrown as projectiles, while the big ones could shield allies.

Akeno-fukubuchou fried that guy to a molten crisp.

Another one had used something that could manipulate fire to his will. He cocked his fist back and threw a fireball at our one and only Pervert Dragon Emperor (apologies, Ddraig). Issei just crossed his arms and took that without even flinching.

" That chicken's flame was far hotter than this!"

As usual, that hard-head just ran through the wall of flames and socked the guy in the face, effectively knocking him out of commission.

Well duh. Phenex clan wouldn't have been a Marquis if it hadn't at least high grade flames. This flame was just normal magic flames, moreover, the user's proficiency wasn't that high. No wonder Issei could brush it off like that.

Now, only two of them remained standing.

" Give up already! We don't want to hurt you more than this!"

Rias tried a more peaceful way to stop this battle. Under normal circumstances, those two would have surrendered to excuse themselves from more pain and shame, but alas, since when could we get 'normal' stuffs?

Instead, they shot all of us murderous look.

" Then what? Torture us? Brainwash us to become your dogs, devils?!"

" No way in hell."

Irony, they talked about us brainwashing them when their head was already full with soaps and bubbles from whoever told them to attack. Rias, being more of a pacifist, tried again and again to make them surrender.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Instead, they took that as a sign of weakness. Spheres made of liquid and several beasts appeared from magic circles, all aimed at the redhead devil. Just before they could unleash their respective blows on Rias, a shriek cut through Kuoh's silent night.

" K-Kurayama, Gremory-senpai, Himejima-senpai, what's going on?! …. Where did that sword come from?!"

A voice echoed from somewhere nearby the gym. I quickly turned around to see the voice's source. Oh, Fortuna, why do you hate me so? I've got more than enough on my plate, thank you!

Murayama was standing there, completely flabbergasted at our actions. I dashed behind her and smacked her neck, knocking her out.

" Great, now I won't get home at time. Ray and Kuroka will kill me. Hooray."

I let her limp body down gently, away from danger. I had a lot of explaining to do AND not a brief one, judging from the sadistic priestess 'ufufufu' giggles and buchou's stinging glare. I could literally feel the creepy aura surrounding them, unwilling to let me off easily.

Once again, I messed up bad, and I was going to be screwed for that.

" Everyone, let's finish this before I get killed, okay?"

" Ufufufu~ Of course, Kaito. We'll have a nice chat later."

Surprisingly, that ufufu came from Rias. Huh, maybe Akeno's influence got to her.

I suddenly wanted to have this battle last as long as possible.

" Like Kaito-kun said, let's finish this quick! Ufufu~"

Sadistic queen, indeed. That was low blow, right in time and place.

…

No use in retorting now.

Koneko and the healed up Kiba started keeping the shadow monsters at bay. It seemed the boost they received when the quake shook the gym was just temporary. Once the time ran out, they'd be toast.

Their hatred and enmity were replaced by fear as none of their attempt worked to their aid. The one with liquid sacred gear threw a sphere at Kiba, who deflected it with his sword.

" HA!"

He exclaimed when Kiba's sword of betrayer crumbled to pieces. That sword was well-forged, and making it was hard, even with his sacred gear. But, Kiba's Balance Breaker had long since surpassed that kind of chink.

Another sword was materialized, and he turned to the acid guy with a prince-like smile.

" What a shame, huh?"

" Good one, ikemen!"

Issei shot a dragon shot at the distracted enemy and successfully blew him out of arena. He slid about few meters away and stayed unconscious.

" This… This CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

Right when the blood curling scream of desperation resonated through the air, the last enemy's aura turned pitch-black. He clutched his head and kneeled down, still screaming in both disbelief and desperation.

Well, I wouldn't judge.

The only way to get normal humans to engage a devil peerage was to give them hope and belief. But, both had run out the moment he was the last remaining. Still, losing mind due to stress imposed on this condition… Not the best way to end this. Even his spirit energy turned black, indicating his high-level of bad emotions.

" DIE, DEVILS! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

His screams became more and more disembodied, until silence crept upon them. His shadow slowly extended from him, became bigger and bigger, until a shape of monster came out. Fed by darkness, he achieved a miracle. The shadow receded to reveal a huge winged lion as big as an elephant. It had a pair of curled ram horns, and a cobra as tail.

A Chimera, not the lesser ones, the one and only Chimera.

" What the hell?"

" Balance breaker…"

Kiba, who'd experienced similar breakthrough, could only stare in awe. He knew Balance Breaker literally meant breaking the scales of battle, but, man, this was off the charts. But, it should've died centuries ago in the hands of a Greek hero.

Nonetheless, this was bad.

Just as we prepared for a bloody battle, a magic circle appeared beneath him and transported him away from here, along with his summon.

" What just happened?"

* * *

With that, the last member of kendo club had her memory manipulated. Now, only the captain left, and she was still unconscious.

There was a reason why we didn't alter her memories first…

" Kaito…. What kind of mess did you get us into?"

For some reason, her memories couldn't be altered. Once we reached to her memories, a violent jolt would disrupt the magic and cancel it. Because of that, we decided to leave her off until all others had already been dealt with.

Unfortunately, we were still unable to erase her memories even after trying a lot of times.

" Maybe she's got a divine beast inside her or something?"

" That's possible, but how did she sneak pass our radar for so long…"

Everyone's eyes turned to me, and all of them let out a knowing nod and a sigh. Rias' comment just made it clear that their radar was seriously lacking. Not that I blamed them, since even I didn't know she had something.

" How about playing dumb?"

Kiba suddenly spouted a stupid, but somehow plausible idea.

* * *

1 hour later…

" Hey, you're up? Finally."

Wow, experience, I put my hat down for you. No teacher could ever hope to beat you. There wasn't even an ounce of hesitation when my mouth uttered those words.

She stirred and rubbed her head a few times before finally fixing her eyes on me. As expected, her eyes widened and she pointed at me like I was some kind of rapist.

" Y-You! Kurayama-kun—"

I sighed and looked at her with the best (fake) concerned look on my face.

" Seriously, Murayama, I'm bored of it already. You've been saying all these stuffs about things straight out of a novel. Aaah~ devils~, nooo~ don't kill me~. I won't mind while you were asleep, but now that you're awake…"

She blinked once, then started questioning herself. Mm-hm, a normal human could never take all of stuffs they called fiction as reality. That was why it was called fiction in the first place. Plus, Murayama was a normal girl with a completely normal mindset. No matter how much her body was tempered in kendo, her mind was still as fragile as glass.

" No, sorry, Kurayama-kun. I just had a really weird and vivid dream, that's all. Why am I here, though?"

Backup! Backup! Red devil ranger, come forward and save your cornered comrade! (according to plan, of course).

" Ara, Murayama-san. You're finally awake."

" Rias-senpai, thank you for taking care of me. But, how did I get here?"

Rias showed her trademark onee-san smile that had victimized many men and women in this academy. She put down a tray of cups she was carrying on the desk and offered one cup.

" Drink that first. It seemed you got hit by serious heatstroke. That won't do, Murayama-san, you have to hydrate yourself properly in such heat."

Truly, this summer heat had saved me once again. If you went from cooled place to somewhere hot, the temperature difference would strike you with nausea, and in some cases, more severe consequences. This also served as a trusty alibi for our plan.

" Kaito found you sprawled near the bathroom. Since the infirmary was locked, he took you here."

I just nodded to strengthen that. Right, now her borders between dreams and reality would deter a bit, but don't worry, the oldest trick humans used wouldn't give permanent mark!

Just some confusion, no biggie.

 **[ Do you expect me to believe that?]**

Bingo. Right on spot.

 **[ Thou art a good liar, human. One of the best I've ever seen, but thy words are useless against yours truly, who had witnessed everything.]**

Now! It's time to play dumb strategy, second version! I named it, PLAY DUMB LIKE A FREAKING DEAF IDIOT!

" Murayama? Are you daydreaming?"

The beastly voice that echoed must've been shocking to her. But, humans were creatures that could easily be influenced by others. So, I just needed to ignore that voice to the very limit of my abilities.

Rias was already showing ticks on her eye, but she still went through with this plan. I didn't blame her, that voice hurt my eardrums a lot.

" Eh? I-I'm just a little tired, that's all. Haha-hahaha~"

Gotcha. Now, whatever inside would have a hard time getting her convinced. Granted, she wasn't someone from supernatural world. Before long, she'd deny the existence within her, I hoped.

So that she wouldn't have to die young.

 **[*sigh* It seems you want to deny my existence, child of man. I've some thoughts about your reasons, but you see, denying this child of her natural strength will only serve as hindrance later on.]**

A ball of green light floated from Murayama and went to her right palm. It melted inside and covered her whole arm in green light.

" Kyaahh!"

She cried out and covered her eyes with her other hand. Rias' eyes widened at the thing on Murayama's arm when the light subsided.

There was shield, a huge tower shield with eagle emblem on the middle. Jutting out from its top, was a pommel. She just stood there and touched the shield, as if trying to confirm its realness. I just face-palmed at the situation.

" Sorry, buchou. I messed up."

I whispered to Rias, just loud enough to be heard by a devil's ears. Honestly, even I was a little confused with what to do with her.

" You did save us from that mess earlier, just consider it even."

She whispered back. However, that little stunt wasn't very subtle and got noticed by the brown haired maiden with a huge shield in front of her.

" **WhAt aRe YoU TaLKinG AboUt, FilTHY SeWEr DwEllErSSSS~"**

Ohohoho~ Whoever inside that shield is toast. DEAD. I'd personally shove a sword to their throats. The owner of such deformed and horrible voice couldn't possibly have anything good going for them.

Sacred gears shouldn't have the ability to possess its wielders. Even Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor couldn't so easily take over Issei's body without his consent. That's just how powerful the sacred gear's sealing magic was.

But, the system had been bugged lately…

" **RaaAaaAHH!"**

The beast inside roared through Murayama's mouth, and unleashed a shockwave that destroyed the windows. I crossed my arms to guard myself against incoming strikes, but she looked more interested in Rias than me.

" BUCHOU!"

Just before she could get damaged from the twin headed axe, her knights struck their blades simultaneously and trapped her right in between by forming an X from the front and behind. As they thought that trap would've decimated her, they lowered their guard.

Just a little, but a chance nonetheless.

She'd blocked both attacks by banging her shield to the ground, and raising her axe a little. Her mouth contorted to an arrogant scowl, and with overwhelming power, she knocked both knights down without any problem.

" **WEakLiNGs"**

Her head turned 180 degrees, like horror movies antagonists. I knew full well that human's body could never do something like that without any repercussions, and her body might crumble any time.

I formed an ethereal blade in my hand, fully intending to cut whatever inside her to ribbons. For that end, this blade was more than enough. Having noticed my killing intent, she turned her body around and raised her deadly tool high.

With a swift dash, my blade stabbed forward, ready to break the possession. However, she brandished her shield and blocked my advance. I canceled the stab and jumped with the shield as stepping stone. I flipped through her defense, only to be met by her axe. I was forced to block her axe to avoid being decapitated.

" Who're you?"

I slid away due to sheer power of her swing. That was what I feared. If her body strained too much, sooner or later, it would inevitably break. She was using strength far beyond her body limits.

My grip tightened on the sword's hilt. I was angry, angry at how such beast of this magnitude escaped my radar for so long. Now, it's possessing Issei's favorite target of perversion.

I'd never let such atrocity go unchecked.

One strike. I'd gladly grant it one serious strike from my steel.

" **fAll, Midgard weaklings! LeT this GReAt Ratatoskr feast oN your** **fLEsh!"**

So, the legendary tusk climber had fallen to a sacred gear, eh? Well, it's a good thing the embodiment of hatred from Norse mythology itself was sealed, but its malice still caused trouble nonetheless.

Let's put its rampage to an early end.

In one swift movement, I drew my blade, slashed, and passed her while sheathing my blade again. The moment a cling sound echoed from my blade, Murayama fell back, unconscious. Of course, since I was behind her, she avoided an impact with the floor.

Spirit blades wouldn't physically cut unless fed with killing intent. At most, it would simply sever one's spiritual consciousness, putting them to an indefinite coma. But, I did target what was inside her, not Murayama herself, so it should be okay.

Her weapons dematerialized to particles of light when she fainted. I also dismissed my blade and carried her to sofa once again, letting members of ORC treat her.

" So, Kaito-kun, what will you do?"

Kiba turned to me, a worried expression on his face.

" There's no helping it. She can't have her memories erased, and she's got a beast of chaos inside her. Better be safe than sorry, I guess."

It's decided.

Murayama would join the ORC as reserve club member.

* * *

 **Alright, that's it for this chapter! I plan something big for the next arc, an idea I've been thinking about.**

 **Read and Reviews, readers, that's what keeps writers alive.**

 **That's all, thanks for reading! Bye!**


	25. Giving Life a Middle Finger Is Nice

**I'm back, finally. For all those who thought I'm dead, well, sucks to be you. It's been months since I last updated, and sorry about that. Adjusting to university life takes a toll on me (and my budget). Hopefully I can update more often, and …**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Honestly, Murayama hadn't stopped talking for the past 3 hours. She kept going on and on about what was, or rather _were_ , talking inside her head. I'd had to convince her at least 5 times since I came to school that she hadn't gone cray-cray.

" So, that voice in my head was like, 'death to all those filthy Midgard dwellers', while the others said, 'they might not be so bad, they need to deflate that ego, though'. They're making me crazy!"

" You hear, Ratatoskr, Hraesvelgr? Quit blabbering and shut your mouths."

I casually told them off, but the battle axe appeared on her hands and tried to hack me to a piece of modern art. Of course, I dodged and yanked it off her hands.

[ Stinking human… Watch your impertinent words, or I'll do a favor and rip it off for you.]

(Like I said, too egoist.)

The axe evaporated to metallic grey molecules and reappeared beside her. She seemed a little spooked, but really, after one night of several mystic beings chattering nonsense in her mind, her definition of 'normal' was pretty much jumbled up now.

" They're inside your body. You can just talk with them, or simply shut them off your mind."

" Easy for you to say. You don't have 2 talking legendary beasts yelling inside your head."

I sighed and put my hand in front of her face.

" Meet Zecrow."

{ Uhhh, morning?}

Her lips were sealed shut until we reached the class.

ORC was on a brief break because Rias and Akeno went to Underworld. How lucky they were, anyway? They got earlier holiday, since it was almost summer holiday, and well, a long break from school. But thing is…

I was somehow a little doubtful when it came to amazing luck this dummy club had, especially involving life-and-death situations, and mostly with me cleaning up their mess. Although some of them I did participate in making.

" _They won't be that lucky… Right?"_

" Oi, Issei, you gonna hit the arcade?"

" Hell yeah! I'm beating you in hokey this time, and nothing's gonna stop me! Screw my possibly messed up math and history tests!"

" …Except the cash you've got."

As proud men who loved arcade games, we always blew up our wallet's entire content before going home. This was one of the reasons I always kept my money outside my own reach, or at least, made me too lazy to reach it. For example, money cards. I usually just filled it once a week, and blew it all away when I went gaming. I made mental note never to use too much, or it'd be bad habit.

Not that I was very faithful to that.

My invisible retainers and guards often zapped me before I could go to the counter and filled my card again. Every so often, they'd drag me home by forcefully possessing my body and teleport me away from there. Stingy, even though I had my own reservoir of allowance AND source of money.

Long story short, I and Issei showed the people there what it meant to be dragon wielders. That was, by bringing hokey to the limits of humanity. Of course, at first we played normally, since Issei's skill wasn't too far off from normal people. But, once he was frustrated enough that his sacred gear started boosting his stats, this turned a whole 180 degrees.

" I'll win and I won't accept any less than 60-0!"

" HAAAHHHAAA! Bring it on, buddy!"

We played like madmen, both on power and speed of every game we played. Incidentally, it was the sort of hokey meant for 4 persons, so we each wielded two hitters to smack the pucks, yes, that's right, pucks for plural. Our little scuffle became too dangerous for anyone to enter in 2 meters radius because the pucks, big and small, were launched out from the table.

" I GOT YOUUU!"

Issei screamed in victory when I dodged his purposely off-course small puck worth 2 points launched at my face, and sent out the main one with 5 points to a breach in my defenses. But, he forgot my unrivaled (damn, even I'm ashamed saying that) instincts. Without using my eyes, I sensed the puck flying at terrifying speed thanks to Issei's boosted smash. Of course, I placed my round-shaped hitter to block, but the puck hit it and went to claim my face. Just before I ducked to avoid having my face bashed in, I sent several small pucks to keep him busy, then caught the big one with my hand, put it on the table, and let it become the icing.

" Time's up!"

The machine declared.

" Haa~ Haa~"

" Hhh… Damn it, Issei. Using boosts? Really?!"

We both fell down panting on either sides of the table. Of course, Issei was the worst due to his depleted reserves, but I wasn't that far better. Honestly, fighting a victory-crazed dragon with double the power every ten seconds while trying to keep everything looked civil wasn't the easiest thing to do. He just stuck a tongue out like a child he was. Seriously, the Red Dragon Emperor had the mentality of a grade-schooler.

" Hey, you two. Play hokey like a human!"

Both of us got a light punch on the head from a woman's voice. Issei particularly had an arrow sticking out from his head. Turning around, there was Hana Shirayuki, the current host of Shirayuki's soul, and a Hunter. As usual, she wore her light purple scarf above her white jacket with a skirt. All that complimented her silky long white hair, and nice, slender but curvaceous body. Her hair also framed her beautiful, yet cold smiling face…

Eh, I was getting off topic.

" Ouch, what the hell was that for?!"

" Think with your head, dude."

I'd kicked Issei out of irritation of becoming a little like him. For practicality, my hair had illusion cast on it, so it was black like before the fight with Kokabiel. I had Rias siphon the memory of my classmates about me having silver hair with black strands in some places. It was getting annoying, especially the assaults from guys.

Issei, and his pervert friends especially.

" Well, Issei. If you're looking for an actual challenge in games, here's your ticket."

I pointed to the girl with neko headphones hanging on her neck. She just smiled and looked at Issei as if sizing him up. She let out a brief snort and smirked.

" You sure he'll be a challenge?"

" Not really. He sucks."

" Then, you owe me a multiplayer game tonight. I've got a quest I want to finish and push ranked games."

Our conversation left Issei gaping at her, partly because he was ogling at her, or still choosing on punching my face or hitting on her.

" Issei, Hana Shirayuki, Snow, this is Issei, this generation's sekiryuutei."

" Just don't call me Shirayuki. It gives off bad vibes."

Then, Issei and her engaged in a hokey fight. Her moves were calm and calculated, unlike me and Issei who had simple reflex and speed bout. Slowly but surely, she stacked up points by scoring small pucks, and feinted two or three pucks at once to make her enemy confused. In fact, she'd destroyed Issei no different from she took a little stroll. So easily, even though Issei'd unconsciously boosted about 4 to 5 times already.

" Not a challenge."

Hana laughed at the defeated red dragon, resting on a bench nearby. Her win was a huge blow to Issei's man pride, as he got defeated by a woman so easily. He was a prideful man (who just got stomped on cruelly) with big hate for losing.

Honestly though, who said woman was weak in games?

Then, we all challenged several shooting games. With my reflex and Hana's precision, we cleared the game in one go. Honestly, with her cover, it was no big deal clearing the game, even though it was made to be almost impossible. Issei there played basket game with us, and because he had more experience, he managed to put up more challenge than hokey.

" Aaahh~ Now that's gaming!"

" Tired…"

" Please…. A rest…"

We were on the edge of seeing afterlife. Honestly… her hardcore gaming was too much for even two males to handle. We got out from the arcade with only half of our life remaining. Suddenly, a sharp pang of chill hit me. I sent a meaningful glance to Hana, who nodded in agreement. I sighed, not wanting to work after spending so much energy.

But, there was a vengeful one nearby.

We left Issei ("Gonna get some takoyaki!") and headed straight to the source of the bad omen. The arcade was actually inside a mall, so I really hoped that spirit had some tact not to choose heavily crowded spots to wreck. Not that many had that redeeming personality, though.

" This reminds me of bad things…"

Haha, good one. I definitely felt that sarcasm all over. I just glared at her briefly to silence her before putting my eyes back on the road. Girl, yes, you with that white hair, could you stop that annoying smirk on your face? I swore I could see you laughing on the inside.

Gods, it'd be a hell of work coming, I just knew it.

The mall's light flickering was more than proof enough. It had to be someone with _extremely_ powerful disturbance to be able to do that. And that someone, was probably going to do some nasty things here.

" Kaito, there it is."

We saw a particular someone two floors below, glowering at a bunch of people. Oh, man, that dark expression…

" That's some killing intent he's giving out. He's bad news, Kaito. What'll we do?"

" What we always do, of course…"

My lips curled to what she referred as, my 'dead' smirk. No one liked that smirk of mine, including the owner himself. Actually, I didn't even know I'd made that smile until Hana's expression fell.

I slit my finger across the neck, making an undeniable gesture to the other side.

" We just, well, talk to him first, okay?"

She tried to pacify before the fight. How was that even rational? Normally, someone would rather build up rage before, not the other way.

Then, she approached the gloomy dude with caution, trying to pacify him into, well, I didn't really know, and honestly, I didn't have to know as he swung a smoky black arm on Hana, who froze and shattered it on spot.

Negotiations failed.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on my own self. Somehow, after my out of body experience, I'd been able to reproduce the feeling and, well, eject my spirit out. It was a rather easier and less flashy way to deal with rogue spirits than swinging blades in your real body with some people whispering behind you. (" Look at that kid, is he okay?")

Blasts of air occurred near her, keeping the spirit's wrath away from harming her. I left my body sitting on a corner nearby, not wanting it to be destroyed in crossfire.

" Hey"

" So you're able to do it freely now? That's amazing."

" Well, I'm just lucky."

I hovered beside her, already preparing to strike at any time. Honestly, this body was pretty much impervious to any physical and magic attacks, as long as they didn't have spirit destroying attribute, and all barriers, as long as they had lower exorcist attribute than my power. For that, I absolutely loved this skill.

" He's… Mourning?"

The wraith released a loud cry that was oddly similar to witches' scream when shot in Left 4 Dead 2, but that wasn't really important. The crucial thing was that the mall's lamps and glass doors shattered immediately. Damn, the vendor owners were gonna get seriously pissed.

But, we took the full brunt of that strike. Luckily, the lights were out and people didn't waste any time running from ground zero. This way, we didn't have to worry about casualties or unlucky pedestrians that happened to witness our dance.

" My ears…"

Hana laid sprawled on the ground, wincing at all the damage he'd done in one wail. I was a bit shaken, but still fine. To be honest, this took a lot of concentration. Had I taken too much damage, I'd have been forced to return to my physical body. My ethereal arm passed through her body, making any attempt of helping her useless. Right, I forgot I had to materialize in order to touch living objects.

The wraith didn't waste any time to lunge and strike. Its savage form struck, and the tendrils of shadow around him whipped everything around. It continuously screamed its agony, about how his family deserted him, his grades falling, and everyone scorned him… And eventually, his best friend just left him… All of these led this poor boy to jump off the emergency stairs and go ker-splat.

His story was tragic, no doubt about it. Imagine having a broken family that thought nothing of him for years that disturbed his studies… That wasn't his fault. He never chose to have a crappy family. He was lucky to have a pal that gave him a ray of hope, but it was gone as well.

But…

" Your story's a tragic one, I understand that."

I held off his assault by the shoulder, preventing him from advancing. His hatred was so strong, I could feel it on my skin. Then, I swept his legs and punched him aside. Not stopping at that, my leg nested on his torso and sent him flying further.

He jumped up almost instantly and sent out his tentacle to grab me. With a tilt, I dodged, and grabbed that unfortunate tentacle to pull the owner closer. On appropriate distance, I slammed both my fists to plant him on the floor. I got him up again, only to smash his face once again. He wobbled back, yet I kept pummeling.

" What the hell?! Just finish me off!"

His savage shadow dispersed a little, showing a crying face of a boy about 13. He ran to me again, but Hana froze his leg, making him fall face first in front of my feet.

" I just wanna disappear… What the hell was my fault? I tried my best… But, still… Even after I die, what the hell?!"

" Life's hard, dude. It's your choice whether to survive and give it your middle finger or not."

I picked him up and dusted him off all the miasma wrapped around his body.

" All you have to do is stand up. Stop making excuses and try again. For all it's worth, at least you can prove to yourself that you're no pushover."

He looked down and just stayed that way.

" I can't… pass away."

" Well, that's not that uncommon. Just don't make trouble and we won't have to slay you."

To prove my point, I took out a blade and brandished it. Or, so I would want to do. But, he didn't need that. He was more than calm enough already. I bit my tongue and bid him goodbye, then left him there to ponder as the light gradually returned to the mall.

" So…"

Hana was frowning beside me, preparing a teleport spell straight to the bathroom near Issei's location.

" How long are you going to hide it?"

She neglected my innocent face and grabbed my arm that was used to catch the dark tentacles.

All I could say was 'ouch'.

On my palms, a burn mark released purple smoke that strangely smelled like acid. On my forearms, there were several purple marks, burning through my flesh without rest.

" Can't hide anything from you, huh?"

I winced at those dark spots on my arms, although nearly invisible due to lack of light, but the pain was very much real. She winced at those wounds and started freezing those nasty burns. I hated the feeling of both of my arms going numb, but it was far better than losing them altogether.

By the time she was done encasing my arm to the elbow, I'd already lost all feeling on my arms. All these injuries were somehow transferred to my real body, even though that shouldn't have happened.

" That kid has a Sacred Gear, isn't he?"

" A nasty one… Wow, never thought having no arm would feel this weird."

" I only suspend the functions of everything inside that block. It'll melt when we can cure that poison."

" Thanks, Snow."

I had to cover my arms with illusion to fool normal humans for a whole day, and Issei too, of course.

* * *

" Even though your arm refused to freeze down, I can't believe it still hasn't healed itself. That poison's very powerful."

I felt bad for Hana. It wasn't that her ice was weak, but it just wasn't strong enough. The remaining spirit power in my arms burned through on the inside and melted the ice one hour after she froze my arms.

The poison that was frozen was active again the moment it melted.

" Can't you just control your flames?"

" Can you control reflex?"

" I see."

She sighed and once again, froze my arm.

" Then we'll cheat this poison. I'll freeze it every hour and let your arms heal themselves, since apparently, my ice isn't strong enough to freeze your reflex!"

She pouted while pinching my cheek. Unfair, with me unable to use both arms. Still, teasing her was something I hated to miss.

" What? You're sulking?"

" And that means I'm in for a sleepover! Yes, for your arms, that can't be helped!"

…

I had a feeling she'd take a chance and punch me if I refused. What's worse, I couldn't use my arms to block at all. She froze them whole.

" Eh, I'll get the futon out. You can get my bed."

[ Hey, long time no see, Snow. How're you?]

" Pretty good. I'm here to help him heal."

[ Sheeshh… This boy here just can't stop making troubles. Look after him, yeah?]

The blacksmith and my onee-chan spoke casually with one another, as if I wasn't here. Hmph, how could they ignore me like I was that lonely branch outside?

" Welcome back- WHAT HAPPENED?"

" Nyaa~ What awful injuries…"

I managed to squeeze out a brief laugh as Kuroka started applying Senjutsu to heal my arms and take out the poison. After half an hour, she collapsed on the bed for overusing her strength. Senjutsu might be using the power of nature, but merely controlling it required a lot of willpower and strong physique.

" Even with that… Your arms should heal in 3 days."

" I see… Thanks, Kuroka."

She sighed tiredly. But, she crawled and stretched like a cat before turning around to face me. Raynare just sat beside her head and stayed silent, something rare for her to do.

" But still, that poison was nasty. Not to be rude or anything, but that kind should've killed you the instant it entered your system. Yet here you are, all peachy."

I just laughed awkwardly as Hana once again froze my arms to stop the poison from further destroying them. She flexed her neck and joints once she was done. And, I felt like I had no arms again for the… Eh, I didn't bother counting.

With that, I was done with my treatment for a day…

Or so I thought.

" Young master! Are you okay?!"

" Oi! Search for that bastard that poisoned him! I'll strangle and fillet him myself!"

" Get the water from the healing spring! We'll use it to neutralize the rotting!"

I just sighed tiredly when about 10 of my men ran around in circles, trying to either wrap me up like a gift box, or just search for the one that poisoned my arms. They even managed to get some medicinal herbs from somewhere in this urban complex, and rubbed them on the wound.

" Guys, I'm fine. Just need some time to heal."

However, inside my mind, that wasn't the thing racking my brain. This world's system had become too corrupted. Especially the social world people originally made to make life become easier. In the end, it was what killed most people in the world.

And if this applied to humans, why wouldn't that apply to other races?

* * *

" Haaahh~ It's that time again, isn't it?"

My arms ached, my head hurt, and honestly, I just wanted to go home and sleep until tomorrow. But, these perverted fiends insisted on me not wasting the most glorious time of the year by skipping school.

Yep, summer. What made 99% of total boys in school almost die out of happiness when they stepped on the school grounds. Well, it wasn't like I couldn't understand why they were acting like that, but things had limits.

Just look at them, beads of sweat slowly trickling down from their nape to collarbone, drawing attention to the short-sleeved, almost transparent white uniforms wet from the sweat… And that glistening skin…

" Tch, get outta the way, you unsightly bastard! Don't block our view to paradise!"

…crap, I just thought the same thing as what Issei whispered just now.

Well, no matter what, I was still a hormonal male teenager inside, so that was still in normal levels… I hope.

" Boys… You all never learn, do you?"

" Oh, hello, Kurayama-kun."

Murayama and Katase, both clad in kendo attire finally felt the trio's prying eyes and rushed out only to find them on a tree with cameras. Of course, as a gentleman who waited for his comrades below, I avoided getting suspected along with them. Thus, the casual greeting.

As they were both beaten to smithereens by kendo club's wrath, Murayama walked to me with a smile.

" You know, I can control that gear thing now."

" Really? Great progress."

When she became ORC's reserve member, Murayama was told on Sacred Gears being magic armaments, but we omitted the details. Until now, she still didn't know the existence of supernaturals. She believed it was an act of terrorism. That didn't stop her from trying out her awakened powers, though.

" Right? I can barely swing that tower shield, though."

" It's made of metal ores. Take your time."

When we were conversing, one of the STC members with white hair and nice figure walked to me.

" Uhh, Momo Hanakai-san, right? What can I do to help you?"

" Sona kaichou wants me to get you to the STC room."

" I'm not in trouble, right?"

She just smiled and shook her head, making me sigh in relief.

" Well, I should be going. Could you get Issei to infirmary later? Thanks."

With that, I left my friend's fate in the hands of a woman who might or might not beat him to half-death before taking him to infirmary. Sorry, Issei, but even you could agree with this, couldn't you?

Don't keep a lady waiting.

I soon reached the STC office, dying of this freaking hot weather. Actually, one of the main reasons of me going there was the AC exclusive to STC room. Without AC, this summer was gonna be very insufferable for me.

" Kurayama-kun, you've come."

" Kaichou. What do you need me to help with?"

But, when I saw her smile and nudge to a table nearby, I understood. She moved from her spot to a seat near the table with board games on it. Then, she gestured to sit in front of her. I just nodded and made myself comfortable there.

" Since Rias is busy training for athletic meet, I've no opponent to play against right now. Then, you came to mind."

" Aaahh~ It's that time already, huh?"

I cracked my neck and started thinking what would be the best move. But, I realized this chess had glowing red tint on the pieces. And they glowed too.

" A new set of chess?"

She smirked and fixed her glasses.

" A special one."

" Special how?"

" Well, you'll see as we play."

She had the white set, while me, the black set. With that, I could see how this chess actually worked. Sona's eyes sharpened, and suddenly a pawn moved forward. Once again, she fixed her glasses with a proud gleam on her eyes.

Me, being unable to understand how she did it, tried to reach for a pawn and moved it forward with my hand.

Hm?

Was it glued to the board or something?

She giggled at my difficulties and that was pretty obvious.

" The pieces move with your desire. Just will it to move."

" I see…"

The game was quite entertaining, and honestly, this devil chess was awesome. But, we played with no hurry, talking light stuffs in the game.

" I thought you were with buchou in Underworld?"

" She was there to send reports on recent incidents. I'd sent mine already. She stopped by to meet her family."

" Ahh, so that's why everyone beside Akeno remained…"

I moved another piece, and ate her rook. She frowned at my action, and started paying more attention to the game.

When I finally got to corner her queen, and ready to make a move, my knight halted. I tried again and again until my face scrunched up.

The president laughed at my trouble (again).

" Well, of course the knight doesn't want to die. It's got family, after all."

" Kaichou, I never thought you loved sarcasm."

She eyed me like an adult looking at a kid playing legos. It surely felt like I was pretty amusing to see, and laugh at.

" You know, this thing is something used to train devils' nobles to command an army. And to be honest, no one wants to die in a war."

" So this thing's made to train nobles. In brainwashing."

" Nothing that extreme, though. More like raising fighting morale for the peerage members in Rating Games."

I scratched my head as I put the pieces of info she gave me together.

" So basically, we're dealing with an army with common sense, and not just molded plastic statues?"

" That's right."

I just laughed and threw my hands up in the air.

" Kaichou, I lost."

" Why? It's not like you to give up that fast."

She had this amused smirk on her face, but not the dangerous smirk this girl had when I left her with repairing the whole school, but one of the nicer ones. I threw my hands up in exasperation and slumped on the chair.

" Scheming and making tactics I can deal with. But encouraging? HR control? Charisma? I've got absolutely zero sense in those aspects. If these little guys here can't move to my finger, then I can't do anything."

" You seem like a good leader, though?"

Gee, even if she only meant that as a pat to the back, I still appreciated it. It was quite rare for someone to give me compliments. I nodded and went back to glaring at my immobile chess pieces.

" _Dude, if you're a knight, you're supposed to protect the queen, aren't you?"_

I could feel the knight's doubt. Wow, this game's awesome. Those pieces were given the attribute to feel. They could even sense its player's charisma, from what I gathered from Sona's choice of words.

" _Look, man, I don't understand a thing about dying for greater good. I just understand that if that queen roams out longer, more of your comrades are gonna get eaten. After that, your family and whatever important to you will be next. So, do as I say, and I'll bring victory."_

Reluctantly, the knight moved forward to my intended spot and put the final lock to Sona's queen. Whatever she did, she'd lose her queen. The only thing she could do was minimize losses by eating either my knight or rook. Well, worst case I'd lose that rook, but she'd still lose her queen anyway.

" As expected of you, Kurayama-san. Sharp and unforgiving as always."

Her face changed from amused to a rather funny one. Well, fun's over, prez. It's time to get back in the game. I expected she was too focused at crippling my position that she forgot to save the pieces not used for her plans. Her strategy was fine, but she lacked the ability to see the whole board as a battlefield. Thus, she kept missing on little details that, well, mattered.

Plus, she realized one step too late.

" Well, take your pick."

" Alright."

She suddenly took not my rook, not my knight, but my bishop instead. Damn, that was the linchpin to this assault!

Long story short, she defeated me afterwards. It was hard-fought of course, but she won nonetheless. Wow, look at that satisfied look on her face. I didn't realize defeating me had such meaning for her.

" Well, prez, you bested me. Good game."

" So that's finally score one for me, huh?"

" Yep. Congrats."

We were about to fix the board for another game when an earthquake happened. I quickly left my seat and jumped to the nearest window, then leaped to the roof to see what actually happened here. W

What I saw made me hold my breath.

The earth cracked, almost like it was erupting. The buildings were damaged, but at least they didn't get destroyed. I leaped back to the student council room and met Sona again.

" Looks like it's another all nighter for you guys again."

She frowned, her happiness point for scoring a win went down, while the annoyance from this incident spiked up.

Ooohh, that tick mark on her forehead was a real art. It was awesome that she could still maintain that cool face.

" I can't do some restoration magic so I won't be any help, but do you want some company?"

She gritted her teeth for a while, but after a few minutes, she calmed herself down. She plopped herself to her fluffy workchair and slumped there.

" No. This is STC's job. I'm not about to have a normal student to do my job."

" Well, I'll just stick around here before going home. Do some investigation and stuff. This earthquake isn't normal at all."

*BOOM*

" Sona, did you feel that earthquake? Oh, hello Kaito."

Rias barged into the room, along with her peerage and Raynare. She marched inside the room and looked outside, since this room was very near to that earthquake. Koneko had her usual sweet treat bag, Kiba being as knightly as usual, Akeno being the yamato nadeshiko she was, while Xenovia and Asia being themselves.

" Dude… You left on me to play with kaichou?!"

" I… did?"

I just shrugged and started thinking when another rumble shook the school ground.

" Koneko, Kiba, and Issei. You three go and investigate that rumble. Me, Sona, and Akeno are going to discuss what to do."

" And me?"

" Stay here. We'll need extra opinion about this matter."

After those three plus Raynare got out, we found ourselves in a serious discussion about what just happened, and what would probably happen.

" You know, I just came back from Underworld, and an earthquake? Really?"

Rias sighed in utter defeat and also plopped herself to nearby sofa. Her sore muscles let out audible pops as she finally relaxed from a long trip from Underworld. As for Sona and me, we had a pretty intense mental battle, and our bodies and brains really needed a little rest.

" So, what happened?"

" I don't know. We just finished a match when the earthquake came."

" Seriously? You sure it's not that retarded humans sent by Khaos Brigade? They've been coming daily lately."

" Like bugs."

" Yeah, like bugs. Bugs that survive no matter how many cans of spray used on them."

However, I felt that something was off. It wasn't wrong for them to underestimate, since being supernaturals, that came off naturally. Why'd a terrorist organization as big as Khaos Brigade used such half-assed Sacred Gear users? I could understand if they used fodders like those mages back in the summit, since their aim was to declare their existence. But wasting such resources like Sacred Gear users?

Normal people with magical aptitude could become a mage with some training, but Sacred Gear users could practically become wild cards when their potential was fully nurtured. Moreover, they had the variety of skills mages didn't have.

" Wait, have you guys ever thought why the big G used implanted Sacred Gears on humans?"

They looked at me as if I were some interesting new species of beast in the zoo. I could understand that they had been taught stuffs since childhood, as princesses of royal families, but why couldn't they use their imagination a little?

Brainwashing by repetition was truly a fearsome method.

" Nothing. Just talking to myself."

Hopefully, nothing like I imagined would happen. Besides, we had some more serious things to worry about than a teenager's speculations.

For example, Norse pantheon's visit to Underworld.

* * *

 **Finally… This chapter got erased several times during process due to technical troubles, so I had to rewrite it again. Add in busy college schedules, and, well…**

 **Leave a review on the box below.**


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